


Steadfast

by thetwilightroadtonightfall



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: (as best as I can manage), Canon Compliant, Developing Friendships, Dialogue Heavy, Early Days, F/M, Gen, I may or may not be writing this with shippiness in mind because I like being self-indulgent, Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, Pre-Canon, early party fun times, reading it platonically is also a-ok, take that as a fair warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:55:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetwilightroadtonightfall/pseuds/thetwilightroadtonightfall
Summary: A little over a year before the Keyblade War, Ephemera joined Skuld’s party. And there was never a dull moment with him around, from beginning to end.





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, this took way longer than I thought it would to post...and it's not even completely finished yet. But I figure, why not flex on 2019 by finally putting my beloved fic up before I potentially end up hating it? So here it is!! The fic that I've spent almost a year writing. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> A special thank you to my big sources of inspiration: To [qbaysan](http://qbaysan.tumblr.com/) for their art, particularly the pieces that breathed life into Skuld and Ephemera’s friendship as early as Skuld’s introduction in 2016, to [Project Destati](https://projectdestati.bandcamp.com/) for their beautiful rendition of [Daybreak Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqvUw8uybPg) which I listened to a lot throughout the process of writing this fic, and to the (few but cherished) skulmera fics that came before this one.  
>   
> And of course, another special thank you to all my wonderful friends as well as followers who supported me (and the ship for the matter) and waited so patiently for me to finally finish writing this. Love ya guys!!
> 
> _Some little additional things:_
> 
>   * welcome to the prequel of a prequel of a prequel of a prequel 
>   * I tried my best to keep this as canon compliant as possible but let's face it, khux can be a tricky medium sometimes 
>   * not much Disney worlds content because 1) I’m a weenie and 2) we’ve gotten enough of those in canon 
>   * it’s Ephemera with an A because that’s just how I roll 
>   * there are some references to other kh games. Have fun finding them [peaces out] 
> 


**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skuld waits patiently for someone to join her party.

Skuld heaves a sigh, her posture slumping.

It’s been hours since she first got to the fountain plaza, with hopes that at least _one_ person would approach her with the intention of joining her party. But not a single person even bat an eye at her. 

On the day of her Awakening, she’d been told that she had the makings of a great leader. And the foretellers were never wrong. Or so she’d been told. So she’d _believed._

Starting to get restless, Skuld stares down at her reflection in the fountain’s rippling water, wondering if there’s something she’s just not doing right. Maybe she’d been too ambitious. After all, she’s only been a Keyblade wielder for a week, yet she jumped right into making her own party after getting her tutorial quests out of the way. Maybe it’d be best to just join someone else’s instead...

"Hey, can I join your party?" 

Skuld looks up, suddenly drawn out of her stupor. "Huh?"

The white-haired boy standing in front of her gives a warm smile. "You‘re wearing a crown badge because you’re recruiting, right?”

Skuld subconsciously puts a hand over the little white crown badge on her jacket, at a loss for words. Where‘d this guy even come from? "Uh...yeah! Yes to both. We...I accept newcomers as long as you‘re active on most days. And every day during party events.”

“Events like, uh...crown week?”

“Yeah.”

"Sounds great!" He takes a seat about a foot away from her. "I've been looking for a party to join. I was starting to get a bit lonely."

He nonchalantly swings his feet back and forth, staring adamantly up at the sky as if it were anything more than just clouds up there.

Skuld takes that moment of silence to subtly look him over. The first thing that catches her eye is his curly hair, whiter than anyone’s she’s ever seen. She’s seen other kids sporting platinum and a shiny silver at times, but never a shade as light as his. She wonders if it’s natural.

Skuld shakes her head at the ridiculousness of her own thoughts. _‘You just got your first member and you’re thinking about his **hair?’**_

Still, she continues to look him over, searching for any sign of insincerity or uncertainty. But aside from his strangely fascinating hair and equally strange cheeriness, he seems just like any other wielder. 

“What should we do first?” He asks.

“Well...since it’s just the two of us, we should keep waiting for more members.”

“Hmm, but I assume that’s what you’ve been doing all day, right? I think we could get some work done.”

“I don’t want to miss any chances to recruit more people.”

“Roger that. You’re the leader, after all.” The white-haired boy, content with letting her make the call, returns to staring up at the sky, the back of his boots knocking against the fountain in an abstract rhythm.

Skuld presses out the creases in her skirt, staying perfectly still as she quietly observes the people passing by.

About a minute passes before he speaks again. “So...when d’you get your Keyblade?”

“About a week ago.”

“Me too!” he replies, “I’ve just been doing some of the really easy quests on my own these past few days, so it’s nice to have finally found...uh, what’s the name of the party, by the way?”

Skuld frowns at the ground embarrassedly, feeling very unprepared for a Q&A. “I haven’t come up with one yet.”

“Oh. That’s okay! I’m sure you’ll come up with one soon.”

They go back to silence, listening to the sound of other kids going about their daily business and the fountain pattering behind them. 

A girl wearing a bandana sits on the opposite side of the fountain to tie her sandals and Skuld watches adamantly as her new companion immediately circles his way over. “Hi, wanna join a party?”

The girl smiles apologetically. “Sorry. Already in one.”

“Alright, good luck!”

He goes back to Skuld’s side as the other girl goes on her way. “No dice.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to ask every—“

He spots a green-haired wielder passing by and raises his voice a little, “Hey, wanna join a party?”

“I don’t _do_ parties.” The boy says curtly, walking past them.

“Nice attitude...well, there’ll be others, I’m sure.”

Skuld hunches into herself a little, not really convinced. “Maybe.”

For the next hour, he continues asking passing wielders if they want to join their party. The closest to gaining a new member they get is one girl with purple hair saying she’d think it over, much to his enthusiasm. Skuld doesn’t have the heart to tell him that they’re most likely not going to see her again.

Finally, Skuld sighs and stands. “It’s getting late.”

That gets the boy’s attention and he stands as well. “Time to go?”

“Yeah. C’mon, Marshmallow.”

“...’Marshmallow’?”

Skuld can’t help but chuckle inwardly at the puzzled look on his face. “Out of all the chatting you’ve done today, you never once told me your name. So I just came up with one myself.”

“Huh? But wh - oh, of course.” He gestures to his hair. “Well, can I call you Blueberry then?”

Skuld grimaces and begins walking toward the direction of her apartment. “No way.”

“What? But you called me Marshmallow ‘cause of my hair so I should be allowed to give you a name based on yours.”

“Nope. I’m not responding to Blueberry.”

“What _will_ you respond to, then?”

She stops. “Skuld.”

“Skuld,” he repeats, grinning, “My name’s Ephemera.”

“Eff-merra?”

“You’ve almost got it.”

Skuld awkwardly scratches her head. “Maybe I should just stick to calling you Marshmallow...”

“My name’s not that hard to say once you practice it.”

She suddenly can’t help but feel a little bad about flubbing his name. It‘s true that a name is a big part of a person’s identity—often they define and give purpose.

“...Ephemera.”

“There you go.” He beams and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you, Skuld.”

“Yeah.” Skuld shakes his hand, feeling warmth spread through her chest. “Nice to meet you too.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

It’s just hit her that she finally has someone to meet the next day. She can’t help but mirror his smile. “When and where should we meet?”

“Hmm.” Ephemera places his hands on his hips, ”Right here at noon. Sound good?”

Skuld nods and waves goodbye. 

_‘Maybe this is a good omen,’_ she thinks, _‘Even if it’s not...at least I’m not alone anymore.’_


	2. It Takes Two to Triumph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemera and Skuld go on their first mission together.

“Thanks for buying me breakfast! I barely got any munny on the quest I went on yesterday before I ran into you.”

“It’s no problem.”

Ephemera talks in between bites of his sandwich, “You said you’re good with magic, right?” 

Skuld nods, remembering the first time she felt the power of magic surging through her veins. “Somehow it just clicked with me. But being a heavy hitter doesn’t hurt either.”

“It definitely hurts the Heartless though!”

“I wouldn’t be able to collect Lux if it didn’t.”

Ephemera finishes the last of his sandwich, stuffing the wax paper it was wrapped in into his pouch as he peers over Skuld’s shoulder. “So...Beast’s Castle, huh. I’ve never been there.”

“I have, once,” Skuld replies, her eyes scanning down the page in her hand, “I’ve never fought Possessors before though.”

“I wish Chirithy would give us more information on these Heartless. Well, I guess this isn’t as bad as it could be. One time, I heard that someone just got question marks on their intel report. _Question marks!_ How are you supposed to prepare for that kind of thing? It’s dangerous.“

Skuld shrugs, opening a corridor of light in front of her. “All quests are dangerous.”

Ephemera continues talking as they walk in. “That’s true, but come on. They can’t expect us to do a good job if we don’t have the proper information to _do_ the job in the first place.”

“I guess.”

“Giving us more information would be beneficial for both us wielders, since it’ll keep us safe...r, and for the unions as a whole, considering that the foretellers want us all to collect as much Lux as possible. It’s a win-win!” He gestures dramatically to the air. “...Then again, if Chirithy isn’t able to get enough information, then maybe it’d be better to question _why_ that is. Do they risk their own hides to bring the information to us each time?”

Skuld stares at him. “You sure are a chatterbox.”

“I get that a lot.” Ephemera shrugs cheerily and knocks on the side of his head. “It’s pretty busy up here.”

“So, how well can you fight?”

“Hmm?”

“I should’ve asked you yesterday, but what’s your skill set like? I wanna know how we can utilize your skills to our advantage.”

Ephemera blinks. “Uh, well. I _can_ fight. I just like exploring more.”

“Lucky for you, our job entails a lot of exploring. Anything else to mention? What about magic?”

“Magic?” A puzzled look appearing on his face before he exclaims, “Ah! Yeah, _my_ magic! I think it’s pretty good.”

“Good. We’ll be sure to gather enough Lux, even if there’s only two of us.”

“For now.”

“Yeah...for now.”

  


* * *

  


“Wow...” Ephemera peers up at the high brick walls and numerous spires of the castle, each one piercing the night sky with grandiose. “It’s huge! And really cool!“

“Kind of reminds you of the clock tower back home, doesn’t it?” Skuld asks, “At least that’s what I thought the first time I went here.”

“Yeah! I’d love to explore that place someday...” Ephemera says almost dreamily before he rests his hands on his hips. “But I guess this place will have to suffice for now.”

They enter through the grand front doors, being sure to shut them before continuing on ahead.

Ephemera makes sure to keep his voice down so as not to disturb anyone. “Hey, by the way, were you able to come up with a name for the party?”

“No, not yet.”

“Totally cool, just checking. Can I call us the ‘Dynamic Duo’ as a placeholder?”

“Uh....I don’t know how I feel about that.” 

“How about...the ‘Trouble Twins’!”

“We’re neither of those things.”

“...’Key Keepers’?”

“There’s already a party with that name.”

“Oh! I’ve got one!” Ephemera exclaims, forgetting to be quiet until he hears how noisily his voice echoes. "Oops, I mean - _I've got one."_

He pauses. Then gesticulates for dramatic effect. _“‘The Chasers’.”_

“Nah.”

“Well, what kind of name do you want, then?”

“Something with meaning...” Skuld muses.

Ephemera crosses his arms, pouting. “‘The Chasers’ has meaning...”

“And what might that meaning be exactly?”

“We’re fast pursuers!” he says, “...Of Heartless.”

“But we’re—“ Skuld stops him in the middle of the hall by jutting her arm out, which he almost bumps into. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“A hard sound. Like something clicking against something else.”

“Uh, no?” Ephemera says but yelps when he feels something touch back of his boot. “AH! Oh, _Lux,_ it’s on my foot! _It’s on my foot!”_

“Relax! It’s just a mouse!”

A little gray mouse runs across the hall into a little hole in the wall. Ephemera sighs in relief, “Sorry, I thought it was a Heartless.”

Skuld can’t help but giggle into her hand. “A really tiny one?”

“I dunno, there are a lot of strange things out there. Maybe even tiny Heartless.”

As if on cue, some Bag O’Coins, Soldiers, and Darkballs show up, encircling the two wielders.

Skuld spins around so that she’s back to back with her partner. “Well, here are the normal-sized ones.” 

Ephemera summons Starlight. “Ready!”

She grins. “Do the honours then.”

“Sure!”

He points Starlight at a soldier. A moment later, a small flame the size of a tennis ball shoots out of it, only leaving a slight singe mark on the Soldier’s helmet. 

Skuld’s jaw drops. “What was that?! 

He scratches his head in bewilderment. “A Fira spell. Sorta.”

“Your magic is _terrible!”_

“Hey! That’s harsh! I’ve been studying this spell for days!”

“You can’t just _study_ magic!” Skuld slices at a Darkball. “You actually gotta _practice_ it!”

“I do!” Ephemera slashes at a Bag O’ Coins and yells, “Shadows on your right!”

“That’s really hard to believe!” Skuld whacks three of them in a row and returns her focus back on the Darkballs. “Why in the world would you lie about magic?!”

“I swear I can do better! I just...need a second to find it!”

Skuld shakes her head as she runs up the staircase nearby. “Try to get a Fira working for the next wave, I’m gonna take these ones out!”

Jumping off the stairs for momentum, Skuld lets out a battle cry as she blasts the Darkballs with a Thundaga, making Lux fly all around her as the spell crackles in the air.

Ephemera stares in awe when all of the Heartless dissipate and Skuld backflips gracefully to his side. “Whoa...that was amazing.”

She tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Well, did you figure it out?”

He looks down at Starlight. “Uh...I will soon!”

“Make it sooner!” Skuld exclaims.

"Come on..." Ephemera slaps Starlight's hilt. "Is this thing even on?"

“Here come the Possessors!”

“No, wait, the weapon's just an instrument for channeling - the magic comes from me!” Ephemera aims his silver and blue Keyblade. “Think warm thoughts, think warm thoughts...”

Skuld is about to cast another Thundaga, but suddenly gets attacked relentlessly by the swarm as she tries to swat them away. “Now would be a good time!”

“Fira!” Ephemera fires at several Possessors making a beeline towards her head, burning them up in an instant.

Skuld cheers. “I knew you had it in you!”

“Told ya, it just takes a second or two. You can count on me!” He gives her a thumbs up before they both blast a Fira each, which ends up incinerating the rest of the Possessors at once.

Skuld puts away Starlight to place her hands on her hips triumphantly. “You know what? We make a good team.”

“Sure do!” Ephemera grins. “Up high!”

She gives him a high five and reaches into her pocket for another intel report. “Now onto the next job.”

“Lead the way!”

“But before that...” She smiles. “I‘ve decided on our name.”

“Oh! Lemme hear it!”

“Our party’s name will be...” In the same manner as he did earlier, Skuld pauses and gesticulates by waving her hand in front of her. _“’Steadfast’.”_

“Steadfast. _Steadfast...”_ Ephemera tests the name out on his tongue and beams from ear to ear. “Hey - that’s kinda similar to ‘The Chasers’!“

“Glad you think so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to make/keep a consistent posting schedule. Next chapter is fun, so stay tuned~


	3. Insatiable Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemera and Skuld investigate what they believe to be a haunted mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the KHUX Halloween Event in 2017.

_knock-knock-kno-knock-knock_

. . .

 _knock-knock-kno-knock-knock_

Skuld walks over to the door, wincing at the overly-enthusiastic knocking. “Would you cool it a little? The whole floor can hear you.”

Ephemera places his hands on his hips as he lets himself in. “Good, you’re dressed! We can get started right away.”

Skuld shuts the door and goes to sit on her couch. “You have a quest?”

“Yep! Got it last night.”

“Alright, spill it, then.”

“We’ve been doing a lot of simple extermination missions lately. I think it’s time for something different.”

He pauses for dramatic effect and Skuld knows that’s her cue to ask, “Different how?”

"So glad you asked!" Ephemera’s eyes light up as he pulls a flyer out of his pouch. “How ‘bout we investigate this supposedly haunted mansion?”

Skuld stares and scratches her cheek. “Haunted?”

 _“‘Supposedly_ haunted’. They say that the rooms in there change all the time, like they become portals or something depending on who's looking. Spooky, huh? The quest just says to investigate but it’s likely that there’ll still be Heartless extermination involved. You can take them out while I look around. Or we could do both together—“

“I’m not sure this is a good idea...”

“It’ll be good for us! We’ll get rewards for defeating Heartless _and_ snooping around a cool mansion. Two birds with one stone! No, wait, maybe that’s three birds...” Ephemera takes a breath, “Anyway, I think it’s a good idea. You with me on this, Blueberry?”

Skuld looks away pointedly.

“You with me on this, Skuld?”

She sighs. “Alright, I guess you have a point. Are you sure that’s a real quest though? What if it’s a prank?”

“The foretellers go through all the quests before deciding which ones are okay for us to take. Or at least that’s what I heard. I dunno, between Chirithy gathering the intel for us and the foretellers sorting, it’s weird to think that some people still get question marks-“

Skuld interrupts, “You hear a lot of things, Ephemera.”

“Sometimes I hear the _right_ things,” the silver-haired boy replies, “C’mon, let’s head out.”

  


* * *

  


Once they step out of the corridor of light and walk a few paces through some thick foliage, Ephemera whistles lowly, “Get a load of this place.” 

Towering in front of them, almost being swallowed by the trees, is a dark mansion, looking worse for wear...but still sturdy enough for Ephemera to stomp on the front porch a few times without any repercussions.

“Seems safe to me,” he claims.

Skuld cringes. “Please don’t do that while we’re inside. I don’t wanna have to report back to the foretellers about my only party member falling through the floor boards because he was being reckless.”

“Roger that, I’ll lay low on the _physical_ parts of the investigation.”

Skuld sighs, covering her face with her hand. “Let’s just get this over with. After you.”

Ephemera gets the front door open easily and runs into the foyer. “Whoa! This place actually looks pretty fancy on the inside!”

“Well, it’s more comforting to look at, that’s for sure.”

Just as she gets inside, the front door slams behind her, causing her to shriek. 

Ephemera runs back almost as fast as he ran in, pulling vigorously on the door handles with no luck. “Looks like a classic case of the ‘inexplicably locked-in’ scenario. Guess we’ll have to find another way out.”

“What?! No! No way in Kingdom Hearts are we getting trapped in here this easily. Move back.” Skuld summons her Keyblade and fires a Thundaga at the door but it fizzles out on impact. “Huh?”

Ephemera gets close to examine it. “No singe marks. Must be magic. It’s probably the same with all the windows. That’s why none of them have broken even though the place looks so run down from the outside.”

“Great.” Skuld throws her hands up, letting her Keyblade disappear. “This is going _very_ well.”

“Aw, don’t sweat it, Skuld! We’ll find a way out in no time. You know that Keyblade wielder proverb, don't you? 'When one door closes...'"

"'-another one opens', yeah, yeah, everyone knows that.”

He jiggles the handle of the nearby door, his eyes lighting up when it creaks open. “See? C’mon, let’s check it out.”

Skuld pouts and glances behind her, her gaze lingering on the front door for a few seconds, before she follows Ephemera in.

“WHOA!” Ephemera’s voice echoes through the next room, which is ten times bigger than the foyer but just as fancy, if not more so. “It’s even better back here!”

Skuld takes a gander at the numerous doors all around them. “Seems pretty suspicious to me...”

“I should’ve come here ages ago...Skuld, look at this! It’s a giant hourglass!” Ephemera says from behind the white pillar, his face warping behind the glass. “And that thing in the center looks kinda like a globe. Is it just me or is it glowing? Oh, oh! Look at the design on the floor! It’s a circle, there’re some numbers...some kind of clock, maybe?”

Skuld calls out from the base of the stairs, “Hey, remember, we’ve got a job to do.”

“Why do you think there’re so many chairs here? Do you think this mansion was actually some kind of inn or a school-“

“Ephemera, focus!”

“I _am_ focusing.” He simmers down a little but he still has a sparkle in his eyes as he joins her going up the stairs. “We’re supposed to be investigating, aren’t we? That’s what I’m doing.”

“Well, I’m going to focus on any Heartless that might try and sneak up on us.”

“Fine by me.”

“By the looks of it, this place is probably teeming with them, just waiting to give us a scare...” 

“Hourglasses, a clock-like floor, _and_ a grandfather clock. Hmm...” Ephemera strokes his chin, staring up at the tall clock at the top of the stairs. “What do you think it means, Skuld?”

“It means we’re wasting time,” she says, “We‘re supposed to try and find something out of the ordinary. Something we can’t see just by walking through the place. Nobody would have to investigate if there wasn’t a reason for suspicion.” 

“That’s true. Hey, maybe we should try checking out one of these rooms. One, two...you six plus this one is seven...plus the six downstairs makes thirteen...how about...this one!” Ephemera pushes open one of the doors to the right of the stairs. 

Skuld steps in, unimpressed. “There’s nothing in here but a bunch of old bunk beds.”

“Maybe that’s just what they _want_ us to think! Remember, they could actually be hidden portals.”

 _“I_ think we should just call it quits. Someone probably just heard or saw something here and got so spooked that they made a whole ordeal out of it, when in reality it was probably just an over-exaggeration.”

“How do you explain the front door then?”

“Loose screws, the wind, a prank...look, Ephemera, there’s nothing interesting enough in here to report about. There aren’t even any Heartless. We should head back.”

“...One more door?”

“Eph-“

“Just one more! And if there’s nothing there, we’ll head back. Promise.”

She gives in. “Fine.”

Ephemera chooses the door furthest to the right and opens it. His eyes go wide with excitement. “Skuld! It’s another big room!”

“Of course it is...”

“It’s kinda dark in here, maybe you could cast a small fire spell? You can do that without your Keyblade, right? You know I‘m not really good at that...”

“Yeah.” Skuld lights a small flame in her palm and gasps at what she sees around them. “Oh, _gross_...look at all these weird, old dolls.”

“They can’t hurt us,” Ephemera says a few paces behind her, “C’mon, let’s look around a bit to see if we can find some clues.”

Together they move at a slow pace, not wanting to miss anything. Skuld’s flame only illuminates a small part of the room at a time, leaving everything else in the shadows. Several pairs of eyes stare back at them, some even shining a dull red hue as the fire passes through their reflection.

“This is so creepy...” Skuld says in a low voice, subconsciously clinging to Ephemera’s arm. “I don’t know why you enjoy this kind of thing so much...”

Ephemera glances concernedly at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just keep walking.”

They eventually reach the back wall of the room, where there lies a large chest surrounded by a pile of old toys.

“Oh! There’s loot. That's a surprise. You can do the honours, Skuld.”

“Alright then.”

As she summons Starlight to tap open the chest, Ephemera takes on a mischievous look, slowly taking something out of his pocket.

Skuld lets out a scream that’s loud enough to echo through the entire mansion when Ephemera places a large, fake spider on her shoulder. Her flame goes out for a few seconds before she relights it out of necessity, revealing her flushed and startled expression.

“What is _wrong_ with you?!” Her voice is ridiculously high as she slaps at her own shoulder.

“Your face...! _Oh—!”_ Ephemera laughs uncontrollably as he bends down to pick up the discarded spider, “Here, here, you should get a better look at it—“

“Get that thing _AWAY_ from me!”

“Aw, c’mon, it’s not even real. It’s not _that_ scary, is it?”

When Ephemera holds the fake spider in front of her again, she flinches. 

Seeing this, he lowers it, his face turning despondent. “Oh, Lux. You really are afraid of it.”

“Gee, what gave it away?” Skuld asks bitterly, her shoulders shaking. “It’s not like I was feeling unsettled since the second we stepped into this stupid mansion...”

Realization slams into Ephemera like a door in his face. “I’m sorry, Skuld.” 

He tosses the spider over his shoulder and offers his hand. “Come on, let’s get outta here.”

Just as Skuld’s about to take his hand, a low rumble nearly knocks them both off their feet. Ephemera catches Skuld’s free arm and they steady each other, both looking alarmed. 

“What was that?!” Skuld exclaims.

On cue, five Search Ghosts appear in front of them. Skuld‘s about to fall into her battle stance until Ephemera stops her. 

“You have to make sure the flame doesn’t go out!”

“And let you steal all the glory? No way.” Skuld goes for a horizontal slice at the closest Search Ghost, extending the flame into a full on Fira spell.

Ephemera successfully lands a Thunder on another one, swiftly delivering a combo of blows to finish it off. Skuld’s flames explode, filling the room with light. The third Search Ghost avoids them but she immediately follows up with a Blizzard, knocking it out of existence.

“Skuld, I can’t see!”

She brings up another flame and gasps at what she sees. “Behind you!”

The fourth Search Ghost attempts to deliver a solid blow to the back of Ephemera’s head but he spins and slashes at it in smooth motions, getting rid of it once and for all. 

“Nice!” Skuld calls out.

She aims her Fira and Ephemera aims a Blizzard at the remaining Search Ghost in the middle of the room. Not standing a chance against the combined spells, it dissipates almost instantly with an unsettling wail.

Ephemera puts away his Keyblade, placing his hands on his hips as he catches his breath. “Alright, I guess that’s that.”

“We should get going.”

“One last thing before we go...”

“What?”

He looks around the entire room, teal eyes scanning every nook and cranny. “Even with all our magic - especially your Fira - nothing in here has a single scratch. It seems like the entire mansion might’ve been protected by some kind of spell a long time ago. But the real question is, who could’ve cast it? And what were they trying to protect, if anything at all?”

Skuld glances at the pile of old toys. “Probably something really important...”

Ephemera nods in agreement. “I think we’ve gathered more than enough information for one day.”

He takes a few steps toward the door before stopping. “Sorry for making you come here. But why didn’t you just tell me you were scared?”

She shrugs. “The same reason why you didn’t tell me your magic sucked, I guess.”

That has him smiling softly. “Maybe it would pay to be a little more honest with each other next time.”

“Yeah, I’ve got it, let’s just go already.” Indigo hair bobbing as she nods, Skuld tugs on his arm, eager to leave the room of creepy dolls behind. 

They two of them leave together, not noticing a pair of eyes on a porcelain doll slowly closing, as if falling into a long-awaited dream. The entire room shifts and dissipates, leaving nothing but complete darkness.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, reading them really makes my day! Stay tuned for the next chapter : )


	4. Sweet Treats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic duo of Steadfast decide to take it easy for a day.

Skuld inhales the fresh morning air from her open window, smiling as the warmth of the sun hits her face. 

Hearing the familiar five pattern beat on her door, she calls out, “It’s open!”

“Hey, hey, it’s a beautiful day!” says Ephemera, strolling through the door.

“Aside from it being a vacation day, yeah. Do you have something planned?”

“So glad you asked!” Ephemera beams. “I heard there’s a nice ice cream place across town. Wanna go try it out?”

“Sure.” It’s not like she has anything better to do. And she has to admit, despite his love for haunted places and overly-exaggerated conspiracy theories (as she discovered on their quest in Wonderland the other day thanks to a cryptic purple cat indulging in his curiosity), Ephemera’s pretty fun to be around.

Besides, how can she turn down ice cream on such a perfect day?

  


* * *

  


It doesn’t take long to find the shop. Skuld admires the warm colours of the painted sign and windows that make the shop stand out amongst the town’s usual orchid and periwinkle hues. There’s even a painting of the Moogle on the door holding a blue ice cream bar.

With a little _ding!_ from a bell attached to the door, she and Ephemera enter, and she’s not so surprised to see the place bustling with other kids. Of course a lot of them would be taking advantage of the summer heat by indulging in something cold.

The cashier, a person with short, almost chipmunk-like strawberry blonde hair, raises a brow when they approach the counter. “Oh, you’re Ephera, aren’t you?”

“Ephemera,” he corrects almost habitually as he scans the flavours. “I didn’t know you worked here...”

Skuld drowns their conversation out as she goes through the numerous tubs of ice cream before settling on a fruity mix. “I think I’ll get this one. I like a bit of everything.”

“Oh, I like a bit of everything too!” Ephemera replies cheerily, “I’m getting Neapolitan though.”

“You sure you guys don’t wanna try sea salt ice cream?” the cashier asks, “It’s new and it’s pretty popular.”

“Maybe some other time, thanks. We'll keep it in mind for the future.” 

“Okay, we’re all set then.” Skuld fishes her coin purse out of her pocket but before she can take any munny out, Ephemera uses his hand to cover it.

“I’m paying.”

Skuld looks at him. “But-“

He speaks before she can finish her sentence - quietly enough so that only she can hear him. “I still kinda feel bad about dragging you to the mansion the last week. I wanna make up for it.”

Skuld hesitates for a few moments before nodding and putting away her coin purse. “I’ll go find us a seat.”

As she’s walking away, she overhears Ephemera enthusiastically asking the cashier if she’d like to join their party. Her laughter lets Skuld know the answer even before she says anything. 

Feeling her heart sink a little, Skuld chooses a table near the back of the store.

  


* * *

  


Two months. And still no new party members. 

Skuld can feel all her doubts from her first week as a wielder flooding back into her mind. How can she possibly have the makings of a great leader if she can’t even recruit any other members besides Ephemera? And technically, she didn’t even recruit him in the first place.

With that thought, a new fear creeps in: What if Steadfast _never_ gets anymore members? 

...Would Ephemera eventually leave to find some place better?

Realizing just how much she’s doubted and denied him over the past few weeks, Skuld figures she could probably be a _little_ nicer to the only party member she’s got. 

“Here ya go.” Said party member sets a bowl of ice cream down in front of her and immediately digs into his the second he sits down.

She pokes at hers with her spoon, not really paying attention to it.

“This is really good! I can’t believe we didn’t come here sooner.”

“Hey, um...” Skuld speaks a little too fast, “Sorry we don’t have more members.”

“Hmm?” Ephemera stares at her as he swallows a scoop.

“It’s...It’s been just the two of us for a while now. We’d rank better if we had more members. And we’d get better rewards...and we wouldn’t be progressing so slowly—“

“Skuld,” Ephemera interrupts, gesticulating with his spoon still in hand, “It’s not a problem.”

She sulks. “It is to me...everybody’s out there doing their best.”

“So are we.”

“They’re doing _better._ Because they have more members.”

He shrugs. “Is it really a competition if we’re all doing the same thing though?”

Skuld takes a moment to consider this. It’s true that each union has the same goal, despite their different ways of going about fulfilling it. “I...guess not.” 

Ephemera sees the sullen expression on her face and sets his spoon down. “What brought all this on, anyway?”

“I heard you ask the cashier if she wanted to join the party. She just laughed in your face.”

“She was just being friendly!” He reassures, “Don’t worry about it, Skuld. I’ve talked to her before. She didn’t mean any harm. And I guess it was kinda my fault for asking ‘cause she’s been in a party for a while. I was just kidding around.”

“...Oh.”

“Besides, Skuld - who cares if we don’t rank or get all the rewards? We still get by. I just enjoy having someone to hang out with. And isn’t that what a party’s all about?”

Skuld stares down at her bowl and pokes the now semi-melted purple mass with her spoon again. “You’re just as sweet as this ice cream...”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she says, finally getting a spoonful into her mouth, “You’re right.”

  


* * *

  


“What should we do now?”

“I dunno.” Ephemera shuts the door to the shop. “I didn’t really have any other plans. Wanna just walk around?”

“Okay. There’s always something going on in town, after all.”

“Exactly. All the hustle and bustle...” Ephemera hops onto a brick border surrounding some plants about a foot off the ground, balancing on it as he walks, putting one foot after the other with his arms spread out. “It’s fun! You never know who you’ll run into next.”

Skuld stops. “Or _what.”_

He looks ahead as well, eyes going wide at all the commotion going on in Fountain Plaza. Sitting on the edge of the fountain are a trio of musicians, playing an upbeat tune that has everyone in the vicinity dancing wildly in a circle.

“Huh,” Ephemera says, impressed, “Those guys are really good!”

“Yeah.” Skuld chuckles into her hand. “Everyone’s just busting a move. They look kind of silly.”

“Let’s join them!”

“Huh? You mean we’re going to dance too?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“I-I don’t know how to dance!”

“Does it look like anyone else here does?” He gestures at the blue-haired wielder dabbing back and forth in the centre of the circle.

Skuld laughs sheepishly as some of the others cheer ecstatically for him. “I guess you have a point...”

Next thing she knows, Ephemera pulls her by the hand into the circle, smiling that earnest grin of his. She tries to make sure they stay near the edge, but soon they become surrounded by the other kids, all hollering and whooping as if they’ve all lost their minds.

Something catches Skuld’s eye though. She steadies herself enough without stopping to have a good look at what’s going on nearby. She sees a tall boy with long, black hair, dancing on his own, with his eyes closed. It's as if he’s letting the music wash over his entire body. His twists and jumps are quick and graceful, matching the music so well that Skuld finds it hard to look away.

“Maybe I spoke too soon.” Ephemera seems to have noticed him too. “That guy can _definitely_ dance.”

“Yeah, he’s very expressive.” Skuld smiles.

Despite everyone’s varying dance styles (and levels of dancing experience), they’re all moving erratically, individually, yet there’s a flow of energy that ties them all to the same rhythm. Skuld’s not sure how to move herself, so she decides to just do whatever she feels like doing. It’s obvious that Ephemera doesn’t really know what he’s doing either, but he doesn’t let go of her hand, spinning her around until she begins to lose all her inhibitions.

Ephemera hears her laugh over everybody else’s shouts and suddenly lets go, immediately disappearing in the crowd. Skuld panics for a moment until someone else takes her hand and she ends up spinning around a girl, then a boy, then another boy, and soon it all becomes a blur of merriment. Skuld finds herself laughing alongside them, not even caring when her short hair flies in her mouth and eyes from all the commotion.

Soon enough, the song intensifies before coming to an end, and as if on cue, she and Ephemera end up back where they started, holding each other’s hands.

As everyone cheers and claps for the musicians, Ephemera lets go first to wipe the sweat from his brow using his scarf. “That was so much fun! Did you have fun, Skuld?”

She fixes her hair behind her ear, a little out of breath. “Yeah. I did.”

The group begins to disperse, filling the Plaza with wielders going in different directions, likely off to retire for the night. 

With everyone slowly clearing the premises, Skuld notices the boy from earlier on the sidelines, and smiles. “Hey!”

The boy jumps a little in surprise. His honey-coloured eyes go wide when he realizes that she’s talking to him. “...Um...hi?” 

“You were great out there!” Skuld moves closer. “You’re a great dancer. I bet it helps a lot when you’re out fighting in the field.

“R-Really? You think s-so?”

“I’m Skuld. What’s your name?”

“...Skylark,” he speaks softly, looking quite shy but amiable. “Thank you. I-I’m sorry, I have to go home now, but...do you th-think we could meet again?”

“Sure! I think we’d be good friends.”

That has Skylark smiling. Skuld waves him off, looking very glad that she was able to talk to him. 

Ephemera joins her side as he looks around. “It’s getting dark, so I guess we should be heading home now too.”

“Today went by so fast...”

“I could probably take a shortcut this way to get to my place...” Ephemera peers down one of the smaller alleyways.

“I’m going this way.” Skuld points in the other direction. “See you tomorrow then.” 

“Wait.”

She looks back at him. 

He moves a few strides forward to stand beside her. “Can I walk you home?”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to.”

He grins mischievously. “I wanna come just in case you run into any spiders.”

Skuld scoffs. “You’re still on about that? Don’t worry. I was just caught off guard.“

“Fine then, instead of going with you to fend off any bugs, I’ll go with you out of the goodness of my heart. Fair?”

Skuld chuckles to herself and starts walking. “I had no idea you could be such a gentleman.”

“Hey!” Ephemera exclaims as he falls into pace with her. “I’m _always_ gentlemanly!”

“Yeah, sure.” Skuld playfully shoves his shoulder. “Chatterbox.”

“Loudmouth!” he retaliates.

“Loudmouth?! I’m not loud!”

“Could’ve fooled me!”

Ephemera’s laughter over his own comeback fills the empty streets and Skuld just shakes her head good-naturedly, wondering how she ended up with such a goofball of a friend like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very, _very_ inspired by Project Destati's Daybreak Town rendition. And I'm very happy to introduce Skylark, the key kid of someone very near and dear to my heart, in this chapter. You'll see more of him later on (and I promise that's not a spoiler).
> 
> Thank you for reading, stay tuned!


	5. Overdoing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemera and Skuld take on Agrabah's _sweltering_ heat...oh, and a bunch of Heartless too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, friends! Thank you so much for all your support so far!  
> Regarding the posting schedule after this chapter, I believe I _should_ be fine with continuing as usual next Saturday, but just in case something happens (example: I get too caught up with playing kh3, I get decimated by school work, etc), I'll take a break from posting that week and use any of my spare time that week to hopefully continue working on the later chapters! Should that happen, I hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy kh3 to the fullest! <3

Trudging through sand under the blazing sun was _not_ how either Ephemera or Skuld had wanted to start the day. Agrabah was a world that many wielders came to despise despite its liveliness and markets full of cheap and rare goods, namely because of...

“Hot...it’s so _hot...!”_ Ephemera groans and removes his scarf to cover his head. “Skuld, can you cast a big Blizzaga on me...?”

“Sorry, I want to save my magic for whatever Heartless we have to beat. Plus it would just melt in a few minutes anyway.”

“I guess you’re right...” He notices her take a quick glance at him. “What is it?”

Skuld averts her gaze, embarrassed that she’d been caught. “Nothing. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve ever seen you without your scarf.”

Ephemera’s hand immediately goes to his neck. “Oh. I guess you’re right.”

He goes quiet for a moment before taking on a more lighthearted tone. “My mom made it for me a long time ago. That’s why I wear it all the time, even when it’s really hot like this.”

Skuld’s perks up a bit, not expecting to get any of his previous life - before the Keyblade - out of him. He doesn’t address the small birthmark at the front of his neck. She doesn’t ask, already feeling like she's imposing.

Instead, she begins to tie her hair up into a tight bun. “Your mom, huh. I wonder if I ever had someone like that...”

“Oh...so you don’t r-“ Ephemera cuts himself off when he sees something jump off a nearby building, “Skuld, watch out!”

Skuld leaps out of the way in the nick of time. “Powerwilds!”

“I’ve got ‘em!” Ephemera swings Starlight like a bat, knocking several away. “Large Bodies incoming!”

“I see them! You focus on the Powerwilds!”

Skuld dashes into a forward leap to land her first blow on a Large Body, following it with an onslaught of slashes. Ephemera stumbles slightly on the uneven surface of the sandy hills but fends off a number of Powerwilds.

“They just keep coming!” he exclaims loudly so Skuld can hear him even from several meters away, grunting as he blocks an attack.

“Tough it out! They won’t be around for long if we just keep it up!”

“Skuld, behind you!” Ephemera points his Keyblade towards the Powerwilds heading towards her.

“Don’t fire here! Fire on the ones coming towards _you!”_

He points Starlight at the Powerwilds, preparing to blast his new Ragnarok ability on them. The charge time leaves him defenseless, allowing for a Large Body to easily slam right into him. Skuld gasps as he‘s thrown into the nearby wall.

“I said NOT to fire here!” she yells, “Are you okay?!”

Ephemera shakily picks himself up and points. “On your left!”

“Stop focusing on me! I’ve got this!”

“I don’t know what you can...or can’t see!" Ephemera says in between slashing at the Large Body, "I’m just helping out...like a good teammate should!”

Skuld groans in frustration, firing a Blizzaga spell at a Bag O’ Jewels, killing it instantly. “I can handle it!”

“I’m going over there to help you!”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

“I’m going anyway!”

“You are so... _ugh!”_ she turns away from him to focus back on what she’s doing.

Ephemera rids of three more Powerwilds before he stumbles in the sand again, this time falling face first. He quickly picks himself up, spitting sand out of his mouth. But when he moves his arm to wipe the sand off his brow, he gets more than just sweat and dirt.

“...Uh, Skuld?! I think my head’s bleeding!”

“Kinda busy!” She quips, trapped in the middle of several Large Bodies.

“Come closer, we should combine spells!”

“No, we can do this! Just let me focus on my enemies first! Heal yourself!”

“Cure.” Ephemera whispers, casting on himself. His head hurts a little less but it doesn’t last long before another Heartless attacks him.

Skuld hears him shouting even through the barrier of Large Bodies and focuses her energy inwards for a moment, enduring a few punches until she releases her Nova attack through a large blast of light, pushing the Large Bodies back a bit to give her space. “Did you heal?!”

“I did my best!” Ephemera says just before a Bag O’ Jewels knocks him in the head with one of its rubies. “Ow! Oh, come on, will you lay off?!”

“That’s it!” Skuld gets to higher ground to avoid all the Heartless swarming her. “We’re retreating!”

“Retreating? But-“

_“Leader’s orders!”_ she barks.

Ephemera hops up the half decimated structure as well, and into Skuld’s corridor of light, leaving the Heartless swarm behind.  
  


* * *

  


Once the corridor opens, they both stumble out onto sand again.

“Why...why didn’t you take us home?” Ephemera pants, barely able to sit up.

“Too much on my mind,” is Skuld’s curt answer.

“Why’d you have us retreat?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We were losing.”

A crease forms on Ephemera’s brow. “What’s with you?”

“What’s with me?” Her expression is cross. She leaps to her feet. “What’s with _you?!"_

"Why are you so angry with me?"

"Why didn’t you just listen to me back there?!”

He looks surprised. “You weren’t seriously expecting me to mind my own business while you were getting attacked from all sides, were you?”

_“Yes!_ That‘s exactly what I wanted you to do! You were under attack too!”

“There were way more Heartless attacking you!”

“So what?! I was perfectly capable of handling them on my own but you kept trying to butt in instead of taking care of the ones in your area!”

Ephemera rises to his feet to meet her at eye level. “Well, I think we could’ve beat all of them if we’d just worked together. But _no,_ I guess you’re strong enough to face _everything_ on your own, huh?”

Skuld, not liking his tone, moves her hands to her hips and straightens her back to size him up. “Yeah, well, maybe I am! What does it matter?!”

“I was just trying to _help you,_ Skuld!”

“You would’ve helped _more_ by focusing on your own enemies instead of fighting mine!” 

“What if you got hurt?! What if I was too far away to help you?! What if you-“

Skuld raises her voice, _“I don’t need you to protect me!”_

Something breaks in Ephemera’s demeanour. He takes half a step back. “I just...”

“Enough...” She turns away from him. “We already failed the mission. We’re going home.”

Ephemera squints at her back, confused as to why she’s swaying. The corridor of light she creates looks a hundred times brighter than it usually does. He squeezes his eyes shut, clutching the side of his head as he tries to ground himself. Suddenly, the dull hammering in his head intensifies...

Skuld turns back with a weary glare when she realizes he’s not following. “Hey-“

Her eyes go wide when Ephemera's knees buckle, causing him to collapse in the sand right in front of her.


	6. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to patch things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, friends! I know last chapter I said I might take a break this week but I realized that it would be better for me to take my break _next_ week. That, and I also felt kinda bad for leaving things on a cliffhanger haha. _Plus,_ this chapter isn't even that long anyway. So for sure, no Steadfast next week, but we'll be back up and running the weekend of the 16th!

Ephemera wakes up to complete silence, with moonlight spilling through a nearby window. He shifts a bit, squinting through the darkness in an attempt to figure out where he is. He can see a door right away. And by the door, there are two pairs of black boots. One of them are his, and the other unmistakably belongs to...

“Hey there.”

He tries to sit up to look in the direction of the voice but his head feels so heavy that he almost falls back down, if not for a pair of hands steadying him against the back of the brown couch.

“Easy, you took some pretty bad blows to the head,” Skuld tells him, “You feeling okay? Are you dizzy or nauseous?”

Ephemera gingerly touches the bandage wrapped snugly around his head and secured from temple to jaw. Of course. Skuld must have brought him to her place after their failed mission. “Yeah, I’m good...just gimme a sec...”

Skuld gets him a glass of water which he downs gratefully before she takes a seat next to him. Smoothing out her nightgown, she takes a deep breath before speaking: “I didn’t realize how hurt you were until you collapsed.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really feel it either even though I saw the blood,” Ephemera replies, “I guess those Heartless really did a number on me.“

He goes quiet for a few moments. “Skuld, I’m sorry.”

“No,” she interjects, “Ephemera, it’s _me_ who should be sorry.”

“Why? I should’ve listened to you earlier.”

“Yesterday,” Skuld corrects softly, “...I was being self-centered. We’re a team. I shouldn’t have tried to push you away...”

She looks down at her lap, feeling nothing but shame. “I’m so sorry...you’ve been nothing but kind to me since the day we met.“

Skuld draws her knees to her chest, her hair spilling over her shoulders.

Her whisper almost falls short on his ears. “I’m just used to being alone.”

Ephemera hesitates. Then lays his hand on her arm. “But you’re not alone anymore.”

“That’s what I’m having trouble getting used to,” she admits, “I’ve just...always looked after myself, you know? So everything you’ve been doing for me feels a bit...stifling.”

He frowns a little. “But I’m just looking after you. You’re my friend and that’s what friends do.”

“I really appreciate it. I love that I can trust you. It just feels so...foreign to me.”

“...Skuld, don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s not going to stop me from having your back.”

“I know. I just need some time to get used to it, okay?” 

Ephemera looks her over once, taking notice of the minor injuries she’s attained. “Okay. I’m glad you chose to pour your heart out to me.”

Skuld plays with the bandage on her wrist. “I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday.”

“No hard feelings. We were both tired and frustrated. Heat of the moment.” He pauses and chuckles, thinking of Agrabah. “Literally.”

Skuld giggles as well. “It was so bad it made us turn on each other.”

“Yeah. Man, I could use a shower...” He removes his hand from her shoulder. “And you could use a new bandage. I can put one on for you if you want.”

“It’s fine,” Skuld says, continuing to play with one end that’s come loose, “I’ll just change it later.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” 

He goes quiet long enough for Skuld to notice. “You alright?”

“Mm. I was just thinking...I guess I _can_ be a little overprotective.” Ephemera laughs humourlessly to himself, pursing his lips a little. “I just...don’t ever wanna go through the fear of...losing something that’s important.”

Skuld finally releases her knees from her chest and shuffles closer to him. “You won’t. I can promise you that. We might’ve lost that fight but we haven’t lost the war.”

“...Do you think someone else has already completed that mission?”

“Doubt it. Nobody wants to deal with that heatwave right now.”

“Let’s get to it tomorrow. We already know what we’re up against so we’ll be able to finish it this time."

“Absolutely not,” Skuld interjects, “You have a concussion. It’d be a bad idea to have you out in the field again so soon. You need rest.”

“But—“

_“No buts.”_

Ephemera stares at her. “...Is it just because you don’t want to go back to Agrabah?”

“No!” She answers indignantly but can’t help but say the truth when Ephemera grins knowingly. “...Okay, yes. But it’s definitely because of you too! I wouldn’t want you to get hurt again...”

“Okay. I’ll take it easy then.”

She nods. “We can always try again. Again and again, and again if we have to.”

“Yeah,” Ephemera smiles softly. “You’re right.”

Skuld leans her head on him. “When am I not?”

Ephemera winces a little. It seems that she’s forgotten that there’s a cut on his shoulder. But he doesn’t dare move away. _“Almost_ never.”

She laughs lightly, “I’ll take that.”


	7. Life of the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the duo of Steadfast meet some new friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!! Great to be here with you all again. I hope all of you enjoyed/are still enjoying kh3? Please be sure not to leave any spoilers (even implied ones) in the comments! Thanks for all the support so far!!

_“Ephemera!”_

Ephemera looks up, not expecting to see Skuld running towards him so early, in the middle of the market, no less. “Hey, Sku - whoa, whoa! What’s going on?!”

“You have to come see!” Skuld pulls him along by the arm. “It’s fantastic!”

“See what? Fantastic? Ow, my arm still hurts, don’t pull so hard!”

“My bad!” She loosens her grip but continued pulling him along.

He narrowly avoids crashing into a tall blond girl carrying groceries. 

“Hey, watch it!” She fumbles, but manages to quickly catch all her stuff.

“Sorry!” Ephemera shouts back at her, “Skuld, slow down!”

She doesn’t and Ephemera almost trips going down a long staircase, but he quickly regains his footing and catches up to Skuld’s pace. The blond girl stares at their retreating backs in annoyance for a few moments, before fixing her blue jacket and going on her way.

Ephemera tries to catch his breath. “What‘s all the excitement about anyway?”

She lets go of his arm as they run side by side. “You’ll see when we get there!”

“Where?”

“Waterfront Park!”

In a matter of moments, they reach their destination and are greeted by three fellow wielders. Skuld stops suddenly just in front of them, the sudden stop making Ephemera stumble forward clumsily, tripping onto the ground. He’s lucky enough that a light-haired wielder side stepped out of his path just in time.

“Ooh man, that was close,” she says in a chipper tone as she bends down to look at him, “Did that hurt?”

Ephemera groans. “Yep...”

“Sorry, Ephemera,” Skuld apologizes sheepishly.

“Are you okay?” A second wielder, a brunette with flowers in her hair, asks him.

“Let’s get you to your feet.” The third girl with light pink hair offers her hand. 

“Thanks.” Ephemera takes it and stands upright, taking a better look at the three people Skuld has apparently brought him to see. 

The wielder with light blonde hair has a white and red accessory pinned in it, her purple eyes twinkling with excitement. She’s dressed in a pink ninja outfit, her hands resting on her hips. 

The second wielder with her light pink hair in pigtails, like the first, has bright purple eyes. She’s wearing a cyan-coloured frog hat, along with a pink and brown chef’s outfit, complete with a white apron.

The last girl has dark brown hair with little white flowers in it, is wearing a white dress with separate grey-blue arm sleeves, along with a kind expression that makes Ephemera feel at ease.

“Ephemera, meet Nagare, Echo, and Luz!” Skuld gestures grandly to them. “The newest members of Steadfast!”

Ephemera gasps in surprise, now understanding Skuld’s excitement. “New party members?!”

 _“New party members!”_ Skuld squeals, bouncing on her heels. “Oh, you guys don’t know how happy we are to have you!”

“I think we can guess,“ Echo giggles, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this welcomed into a new party before.”

“It’s so nice to meet you guys!” Nagare exclaims amiably, her light hair and bright eyes standing out. She goes up to Ephemera and shakes his hand enthusiastically before leaning in close. _“I would die for this party.” ___

__“Uh...wait, what?”_ _

__Luz moves Nagare aside to wrap an arm around Ephemera’s shoulders as Nagare goes over to Skuld. “This is gonna be a lot of fun!”_ _

__“Yeah, definitely!” Ephemera replies jovially, “Skuld’s a great leader, so I can attest that you guys are gonna be well taken care of.”_ _

__“I have some other friends who are also thinking of joining,” says Echo, “Is that okay, Skuld?”_ _

__“That’s more than okay!” Skuld exclaims, “The more the merrier! I can’t wait to meet them.”_ _

__Nagare bounces on her heels. “‘Kay, well, the three of us just wanted to check in with you and meet Ephemera but truth is, we’ve got quests to complete. Those jewels don’t collect themselves, y’know.”_ _

__“Oh, okay!” Skuld waves them off. “Safe travels!“_ _

__The trio wave back amiably before Luz opens a corridor of light._ _

__As soon as they’re gone, Skuld turns to Ephemera with a giddy grin on her face, still bouncing on her heels. “I can’t believe we finally have new members!”_ _

__Ephemera smiles. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Skuld so overjoyed and it’s heartwarming. He nudges her side with his elbow. “See? Told you people would come flocking in eventually.”_ _

__Skuld gleefully rubs her hands together. “This’ll be great! Maybe we’ll be able to get some good rewards for once.”_ _

__“Yeah! And we’ll have extra helping hands on harder quests and raid bosses!”_ _

__Skuld‘s eyes start to twinkle. “Yeah! And maybe I can finally go on some solo missions!”_ _

__“Yeah!” He cheers. But then pauses. “Wait...solo?”_ _

__“Oh, oh, it’ll be _great_ for the whole team!” Skuld excitedly pushes his arm. “Now that we have more hands on deck, we’ll get more Lux, more skills, more jewels, our rank will go up and get us more rewards, then you and I will be able to try our hand at longer quests and rack up _even more rewards!_ It’s perfect!”_ _

__“Yeah...I guess so.”_ _

__“Luz, Echo, and Nagare sent in requests last night but I didn’t see them ‘til this morning. So I met up with them before going to find you so we could all introduce each other.”_ _

__Skuld bashfully tries to cover her flushed face with her hands. “I’m so hyped! I probably sounded like a dork the entire time I was talking to them...”_ _

__She looks at Ephemera. “Do you think I made a good first impression?”_ _

__Ephemera meets her honey eyes, suddenly at a loss for words. It's usually easy for him to talk to people; the words (often too many of them) just tumble right out of his mouth. But somewhere along the way, Skuld was able to master the ability to render him speechless without even trying._ _

__“Ephemera? Is that a no?”_ _

__He smiles again when the words finally form on his tongue._ _

__“I think they already love you.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key kids Echo, Nagare, and Luz belong to my good friends Echo (echoheart0324), Oath (stresslitzia), and Romy (romy350-romyakari) respectively~


	8. Living Quarters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Skuld in her apartment...plus one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! Not much to say except I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Skuld stretches her arms over her head, sighing in relief when she hears a soft ‘pop’.

Today’s solo quest had been another success but Cerberus had also been successful in making her work up a good sweat, leaving her weary and in need of a nice, warm bath.

Unlocking her apartment, Skuld tiredly kicks off her boots at the door, almost tripping on her feet while doing so.

“Long day?”

“Yeah...” She turns to open the door to her bedroom before doing a double take.

Staring wide-eyed at the figure sprawled out across her couch, Skuld yells, “Ephemera?! _What_ are you doing here?!”

Ephemera waves cheekily. “Hey.”

“Don’t you ‘hey’ me! How in the name of Kingdom Hearts did you get in here?!”

He seems puzzled. “I just went through the window.”

“You can’t just break and enter wherever you want!”

“Sure, I can!” He replies nonchalantly - _annoyingly,_ in Skuld’s eyes. “I just either do it without being caught or I do it when I know I’m not in any real danger.”

“You sure about that? ‘Cause I’m about to get my Keyblade out.”

“Whoa, whoa, okay! There’s no need for that!” Ephemera waves his hands in front of himself, immediately rising from the couch.

“Then explain yourself.”

“I really missed your place. It’s convenient and comfortable.”

Skuld takes notice of the volume of his tone. It’s as if he’s unsure of what he’s saying. “The truth.”

“You always have good snacks.” He laughs not-so-convincingly to himself. 

“You’re _really_ pushing it, Eph.”

“...Okay, you got me...” Ephemera pouts a little, sheepishly looking away. “We've gotten a lot of new members this past week. Ever since, you’ve been going off on your own a lot. And I totally get it; you want things to be better for all of us, so you choose to take harder missions...ones I’d only slow you down on if you took me along." 

He fiddles with the tassels of his scarf. "But when it comes down to it, I guess I’ve just...really missed hanging out with you.”

“Really now,” Skuld chuckles, not really convinced, “You just can’t get enough of me, can you?”

“Well...yeah. You’re awesome.”

Ephemera turns red when he sees the look of surprise on Skuld’s face. “I, um...”

Her expression softens. “I’m awesome?”

“I just mean that you give off good vibes!”

Skuld smiles. “Stick to the truth. You’re better at that.”

Ephemera sheepishly rubs the back of his head. 

“You can stick around for a bit if you want but it’s not gonna be much fun for you,” Skuld tells him bluntly, “I’m off to take a bath and that’s strictly a _solo_ activity.”

“Totally understandable. But, uh...”

“Aha! So there _is_ a catch to your flattery!

He laughs awkwardly. “Okay, yeah, sorta.”

“Keep explaining then.”

“Someone broke one of my windows yesterday during a fight outside so it’s not that cozy in there at the moment. My apartment’s also kinda messy. Actually, it’s been messy from the beginning and it’s just hard to clean because of all my stuff - especially now that I had to block off the window.”

Ephemera pauses to think for a moment, before continuing, “I know it might be asking a lot but...will you let me sleep over every once in a while? Like on days when the weather's bad or we don’t see each other much so we can at least hang out a little before and after missions?” 

A crease forms in her brow. “Sleep over?”

“Yeah! I’ve heard that sleepovers are fun. Plus, we’re friends, so it won’t be weird between us unless we make it weird, right? Or did I just make it weird by saying that...?”

“Ephemera, I don’t know...I don’t mind hanging out with you more but...”

“I’ll be a good housemate! I’ll look after myself and I’ll even help you clean when I’m around, promise!” Ephemera gives her his best puppy eyes. “Please?”

Skuld sighs. She hates it when he looks at her like that. And she wouldn’t be considering it if she didn’t trust him more than anyone else she’s ever met. “Fine. Okay.”

He whoops in victory.

“But you’re sleeping on the couch.”

He simmers a little. “Well...I guess that’s fair.”

“Where did you _think_ you’d be sleeping?”

Ephemera opens his mouth but wisely closes it. He shrugs instead.

The rest of the night is uneventful as they begin to wind down. Having another person at home certainly takes some getting used to on both sides but after the numerous questions and slight awkwardness, they settle down with no problems.  


* * *

  
Skuld is puzzled and almost alarmed when she hears her oven’s exhaust and a drawer opening in her kitchen but relaxes when light humming follows. She’s not so surprised that Ephemera’s a morning person. Although the last thing she expected was for him to be cooking in her kitchenette.

“Morning!” He chirps when she comes out of her bedroom. How he can be so jovial this early in the morning, especially after going to bed late, is a mystery to Skuld.

She rubs at her eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Making breakfast.”

“For both of us?”

“Of course, why do you think there are two plates on the table?”

Skuld goes quiet. “...You didn’t have to cook for me.”

“Well, you’re letting me stay here so I’ve gotta pay you back somehow. But you know I don’t have any munny, so I decided to just cook for you instead.”

“You don’t have to do it for that reason either. We’re friends. And I can make my own meals.”

“Think of it as me paying rent.” Ephemera flips a pancake, sticking the landing perfectly, much to his delight. “Plus, I like cooking. It’s fun.”

“Somehow you’ve never struck me as the type of person who’d be good at cooking.”

“Never judge a book by its cover.”

“Nagare saw you accidentally set a bush on fire in Dwarf Woodlands yesterday. I think I have enough reason to be skeptical. I don’t want you burning down my flat.”

“Yesterday was the Heartless’ fault! It moved before my Firaga could land,” he defends himself, not taking his attention off of the food, “I was able to put it out in the end, wasn’t I? And besides, cooking doesn’t involve any magic. It’s science.”

_“Baking_ is science. Cooking is art.”

“I’d say I’m pretty good at art.”

Skuld shrugs and deadpans, “Okay, I believe you.”

“No, you don’t.” Ephemera transfers two pancakes onto her plate, grinning. “I put _blueberries_ in ‘em.”

“Of course you did...”

“Try ‘em.” Ephemera sets the pan down on the stove before crossing his arms and turning back to look expectantly at her.

She hesitantly pokes the pile and is relieved to see that they’re fluffy and not rock hard. After pouring some syrup, she gets a mouthful and chews. It’s a bit awkward with Ephemera staring at her the entire time but moments later, she forgets all about that. 

The pancakes are _perfect._

Fluffy, soft, and sweet. The blueberries even pop delectably in her mouth. 

She mumbles, “It’s good... _really_ good. Thank you.”

Ephemera smiles, as if he already knew what she was going to say. “Told ya I had skills. Am I allowed to keep cooking for you then?”

Skuld goes red. “Don’t say it like that, you weirdo.”

His smile turns into a bit of a mischievous smirk as he leans closer. “I’ll keep cooking _just for you,_ Skuld.”

“That’s even worse!” She slaps his shoulder, causing him to burst out laughing. It’s contagious though, and Skuld’s just glad she didn’t take another bite before she started laughing as well.


	9. The Headache of Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemera does his best to take care of the party while Skuld's away for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny warning note: A new character in this chapter can be very inappropriate at times and may cause discomfort depending on your sensitivity to sleazy, sexist comments, so please read at your own discretion. I apologize on his behalf ^^"

“Heeey! _Heeeeeeey!”_

“Oh no...” Luz groans. “Here he comes.”

Ephemera sighs but does his best to smile. “Maybe he won’t come to us.”

“Hey! I know you can hear me! Emphera!”

“It’s Ephemera,” he mutters as Ulo dashes past several marketplace stalls to get to them. Why can’t anyone get it right? “What‘s up, Ulo?”

Ulo has slightly tanned skin, green eyes, and a wild mane of turquoise hair. He dons yellow and black sporty attire. The newest member of Steadfast had joined a few days back, but the second he was accepted into the party, he’d started hanging around all the members like he was the plague, pestering and teasing them to no end. And Ephemera, for whatever reason, was never safe from his boisterous utterances.

Ulo smirks. “Are you and Skuld an item?”

“Huh?”

“Y’know, dude—you holding her up?”

“What?!” Ephemera’s ears go red. “Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Fine, if you won’t give me a straight answer, lemme just ask her then.” Ulo flips his green bangs as Skuld walks towards Luz, “Yo, Skuld! Are you and Ephemry a couple?”

She blushes almost as badly as Ephemera. “What?! Couple?!”

“You guys live together, don’t you? And Ephemera’s basically the co-leader of the party. Of course we _all_ think that you two are a thing.”

“You’ve got it all wrong!” Skuld cries out, “Sure, he...visits my place sometimes. But we’re just friends!”

“Heh, that’s what they all say.”

“Ulo, stop it,” A party member named Helvetica scolds as she stands nearby.

Helvetica had joined just after Ulo, and was his exact opposite in just about every aspect, but most especially in personality. She has dark skin, fluffy lavender hair, and teal eyes. She wears an expert explorer outfit, with golden hoop earrings.

“Don't be so rude," she says with a stoic expression, "What goes on between them is none of your business anyway.”

 _“Nothing_ goes on between us!” Skuld exclaims.

“She’s right, Ulo, we’re just friends,” Ephemera explains to him, “She’s been letting me stay over once in a while ‘cause my place isn’t in the best condition and it’s a more convenient location.”

Ulo raises an amused brow. “So it’s a favour then.”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

“Okay, man, whatever you say.” Ulo chuckles. “So defensive...”

Skuld sighs as Ulo walks past her. “Speaking of favours, Eph, I’m gonna be heading out for a while. Do you mind holding down the fort for me?”

“Oh, okay. Anything specific I have to do?”

“Well, there are supposed to be two new members coming in later so you have to meet them at Fountain Plaza. Also remind Nagare and Echo to do some extra raiding today to fill their weekly Lux quotas, and let everyone know that Beast’s Castle is off limits tomorrow because of that bad snowstorm coming in," Skuld lists off the top of her head, "Oh, and make sure Ulo doesn’t get into any trouble again.”

Ephemera crosses his arms, thinking. “Being a leader sure is a lot of responsibility...”

Skuld smiles. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Be safe.”

He watches her leave through a corridor and places his hands on his hips as he walks in the other direction. “Alright. Better get started.”

"Whipped!!"

Ephemera jumps when Ulo makes a loud whipping sound in his ear and sighs as Ulo laughs at him before walking off for real this time.  


* * *

  
The silcer-haired boy hooks his thumbs in his pants pockets as he leans against the front wall of the Moogle shop, taking everything in as he recounts the events of his day.

The two new members, a sunny blue-haired girl named Roy wearing a fancy, navy blue and pale yellow dress, and a cordial brunette wielder named Pili wearing a mainly black and red outfit with black glasses, were thankfully more than pleasant enough to speak to and went off to work without a hitch. Ephemera had spent a little more time than necessary staring at the bunny ears in Pili’s hair, wondering if they were actual ears or just one of those very realistic-looking accessories that seemed to be part of a big fad as of late. He made a little mental note to ask them later.

Nagare and Echo had complained a little about having to go raid, but regained their strength after a bit of persuasion (the two sweet-toothed wielders had somehow found out about his skills in the kitchen, so why not use that as leverage? A few cookies wouldn't be so hard to make for the two friends).

He headed down to the Fountain Plaza after that, letting every Steadfast member he saw know about the restriction on Beast’s Castle and let the word spread on its own. Buying some goods from the Moogle and chatting up some members in the shop had eaten up a good hour or so, leading to Ephemera’s current state of tranquility as he enjoys watching the town gradually become covered in the golden light of the sunset.

It seemed too easy, Ephemera thinks, remembering other times where Skuld would run around doing multiple party errands like a bumblebee on the first day of spring, leaving her exhausted by the end of the day. If he happened to be staying at her place on those days, he’d shush any small talk from her and tell her to go straight to bed. But despite her weariness, Skuld never complains about her leader duties. 

_Nothing_ makes him more proud than watching his friend blossom into the fantastic party leader she was always meant to be. 

“Bet I can guess who you’re thinking about!” 

Ephemera winces as Ulo slaps him on the back, speaking boastfully, “So, am I right or am I right?”

“You didn’t make any guesses.”

“Don’t need to! I’m _always_ right.” He runs a hand through his thick hair.

Ephemera makes a non-committal grunt. “Sure.”

“Glad I found you, ‘cause I’d like to continue our conversation from earlier.” 

“Sorry, Ulo, I’m kinda busy-“

“Skuld’s super pretty, ain’t she?”

Ephemera blinks, taking that in. He answers slowly, wary of where Ulo is going with this. “Yeah? She is.”

“But you, like, haven’t done anything about it.”

Ephemera can practically hear the bad vibes radiating out of his tone but remains amiable, not wanting to create an issue. Skuld told him to keep Ulo out of trouble. “What‘s there to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe claim her? Make her yours? That sorta thing?”

Ephemera’s expression sours. “Make her mine?”

“Lux, you’re dense...no wonder Skuld only treats you like an assistant.”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Ephemera exclaims, capturing the attention of the other Steadfast members close by. “I’m her friend, Ulo.”

“That’s for sure. I guess she’s just not interested in you then.” Ulo chuckles to himself. “Hm, y’know, maybe _I_ should take her out sometime and show her how a _real_ wielder rides.”

It takes everything in Ephemera’s power not to shudder in front of him. “Stop talking like that.”

“Why? You worried that I’ll steal your girl?”

“No. Skuld doesn’t belong to anyone.” Ephemera crosses his arms, adding to the most stern expression anyone’s ever seen. “I’m sick of the way you talk about her. In case you forgot, she’s the leader of the party and you should respect that.”

“In case _you_ forgot, she’s also just a girl. And _you‘re_ just a pushover. So what are you gonna do if I don’t?”

Ephemera pauses for a second to consider the consequences of his next sentence for Skuld’s sake but chooses to let it leave his mouth. “I’ll kick you out myself.”

The members of Steadfast and some other kids nearby collectively "oooh", all closing in to get a good look at the action.

“Oy, a Daybreak Duel!" A pink-haired boy from the Moogle shop slaps Ephemera’s shoulder for good luck. "Kick his skull in, mate!”

“Oh, sure, because you just so happen to be her right-hand man and she left you with all the power,” Ulo goads, “Funny choice in my opinion. Why not that mature one? Hel-something.”

“Her name’s _Helvetica._ And Skuld trusts me. That’s all there is to it.”

Ulo scoffs, muttering, “Of course she’d trust a pretty boy like you.”

The other kids around them chant the words "Daybreak Duel" multiple times over.

Ephemera chuckles humourlessly. “Thanks for the compliment.”

With a flick of his wrist, Starlight jumps into Ephemera’s hand and the crowd goes wild.

From a rooftop nearby, a girl with strawberry blonde hair donned in white watches with wide eyes as the two wielders fight down below, their Keyblades clashing with loud _clangs!_

Ephemera swings his Keyblade at him like a bat, but Ulo quickly dodges by rolling across the ground. The wielders nearby quickly move back as the fight moves to them, but continue to cheer.

“You’re crazy!” Ulo taunts with a smirk, blocking another one of Ephemera’s swings. “You’re gonna lose to me, and for what, just to make some girls feel sorry for you? So Skuld’ll be all like ‘Aw, my sweet Epher, you poor thing, let me take care of you!’ Real slick, man.”

“You’re the one who’s crazy!” Ephemera steps up on the fountain to get some height for his next leap, but Ulo dodges again, and uses this opening to punch him in the face.

The crowd gasps as Ephemera flies into the fountain with a large splash. 

“See? I don’t even need my Keyblade to make you fumble like an idiot!”

As Ulo laughs with his head held high and the surrounding wielders begin to mumble in concern, another figure enters the scene.

“E-Excuse me.” Skylark slips between some wielders to get a closer look and is surprised to recognize the silver-haired wielder in the fountain holding his face.

Ulo‘s laughter subsides. “Oh man, oh man...if you’re my only competition, it’s gonna be a cakewalk to make Skuld fall for me.”

Ephemera sits up, water dripping down his face as he frowns. “No girl would fall for someone who doesn’t respect them.”

“They’re sure gonna respect me once they see me blast you out of this fountain!” Ulo replies, “Right, girls?”

None of the female wielders in the vicinity says anything, a lot of them even looking slightly uncomfortable now.

Ulo points his Keyblade at Ephemera, but before the green-haired wielder can do anything, he’s hit with a blast of wind, causing him to stumble backwards clumsily.

Ephemera looks up to see another wielder standing next to him outside of the fountain. “...Skylark?”

“I-I’m sorry I got involved...but I was getting annoyed.” He offers his hand, helping Ephemera get up. “And you m-might get in trouble if you keep fighting...”

“Would ya look at this!” Ulo laughs, fixing his hair. “Ephemee’s so weak that he needs a friend to help him fight!”

“...So what?” Skylark asks, “E-Everybody needs a friend sometimes. 

Ephemera glances at him and lets Starlight hang low at his side before turning to Ulo. "He's right. Though I doubt you’d understand that, considering how little respect you have for everybody around you.”

The wielders in the vicinity go wild with this comment, some cheering, some just yelling for the sake of yelling. 

Ulo just scowls. “Enough with the trash talk. Take me on like a real man!”

“...Nah. Think I’ll pass,” Ephemera says, "Skuld trusted me to keep you out of trouble."  


* * *

  
“What in the name of Kingdom Hearts happened to you?!” Skuld cries out.

The plaza had long since cleared out, with Ulo throwing a tantrum over the fact that Ephemera refused to continue fighting, followed by a bunch of Steadfast members shooing him away. Some of them decided to hang around Ephemera in the Moogle shop, to watch as Skuld tries to piece together the alarming sight in front of her. 

Ephemera removes the ice pack from his face, revealing his black eye. “Trust me, it was worth it.”

Nagare nods enthusiastically from her spot on top of one of the tables. “It was _awesome!_ He got into a fight with Ulo ‘cause he kept saying gross things about you.”

Ephemera stares up at Skuld, waiting to be reprimanded. 

Once she gets over her shock, Skuld crosses her arms. “I tell you not to let Ulo get into trouble, and yet you’re the one who gets him into it. Lux, I should’ve expected this...”

Ephemera shrinks into himself a little. “I, uh...”

“Well, did you win?”

He opens his mouth. Then closes it. “You’re not mad?”

“...To be honest, I’ve been wanting to kick that guy’s butt for a while now. I just didn’t think it would look good for me since I’m the party leader.”

Luz, who's sitting in a chair next to Nagare, shrugs. “We all would’ve been behind you. That guy was creepy.”

“You gotta take initiative as leader sometimes, Skuld,” says Helvetica.

“That’s true...I guess I could use a bit more confidence,” Skuld sits next to Ephemera, “So? Did you win or not?”

He chuckles and gestures to his beat up face. “You tell me.”

“He totally won,” Echo tells her, “Ulo left the party.”

“I just hope he doesn’t go messing around with other people.” Ephemera pouts, before sighing. “Oh, who am I kidding, he definitely hasn’t learned his lesson.”

"Yeah, some people are just super stubborn, like my brother during that one time he tried to cross a metal bridge," Nagare says with a chipper tone, "Next time, _I'll_ be the one to beat Ulo up if he decides to keep acting like a creep!"

Echo shakes her head. "You might get in trouble if one of the foretellers sees you."

"Trouble's my middle name!"

Skuld holds Ephemera's shoulder. “...I can't say the same about our other party members, but it’s not like you to teach someone a lesson by force. Were the things he said about me really worth the bumps and bruises?”

He doesn’t even hesitate. “I don’t like it when people say bad things about my friends.” 

Skuld smiles. “Thanks for standing up for me, Eph.” 

She then looks across the room. “And thank _you_ for helping, Skylark.”

He perks up, not expecting to be addressed. “Oh, um...I didn't really do much.”

Skuld takes her attention off of Ephemera for one moment, approaching the tall wielder. “Say...are you in a party by any chance?”

“I’ve been m-meaning to join one, actually.”

“Why don’t you join us, then?” She offers, “I promise we’re not _usually_ this chaotic.” 

That has him smiling. “...I think it would be nice to join...if you d-don’t mind.”

“Of course!” Skuld says cheerfully, and pulls him by the arm to the other members. “Hey, guys! Welcome our new member!”

“Three new members in one day? Cool!”

"Luz, you, Nagare and I joined on the same day too, remember?"

"Oh yeah! But it's still cool."

“Hello! Welcome!”

“Holy light, you’re tall!”

“Y-Yeah, I get that a lot...”

“Hey, you know what we should do? We should PARTY!!”

“Not in here, kupo! _No messes allowed!”_

“Hahaha!”

“Uh, guys?” Ephemera speaks over everybody’s mirth, “Believe me, I’m glad you’re all getting along...but could I get some medical attention...?”

“Oh, geez, your face is _really_ swelling up,” Skuld says once she scurries back to him, “We should work on your defensive maneuvers once you’re better.”

“I’ll take your word for it...”  


* * *

  
“Did you see all of that? So uncouth.” 

“That wasn’t the worst fight we’ve seen though. The one with the scarf seemed to have been fighting for a good cause...”

“Even so, I don’t think it’s good for Keyblade wielders to raise their weapons against each other, regardless of the reasoning behind it. What good could possibly come out of such a thing?”

“...I guess you have a point, Lauriam.”

He sighs. “There’s no use worrying about it now that it’s been resolved, I suppose...time to head home, Strelitzia.” 

“Oh, yes...it’s evening already.”

The girl in white grabs her brother’s hand as he helps her walk across the rooftops, and they disappear behind the buildings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's note: "Ulo" means head in Tagalog. I was gonna call him "Tigas", as in "hard", but...that would've been a little weird haha. Plus we've already got a "Brain", a "femur", and a "skull", in khux so why not just an entire head?
> 
> Key kids Roy and Pili belong to my good friends Icy (whoelsewillihaveicecreamwith) and Pili (keykidpilipili) respectively!


	10. Morning Musing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation with Ephemera enlightens Skuld a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! Thank you very much for reading so far. 
> 
> Something important that I must say: There won't be a new chapter next week. School work's been piling up and I'm gonna be pretty busy. (I even almost forgot to post today's chapter oops!!) So stay tuned for the week after, as I get my act together behind the scenes! Roadie over and out.

Morning already...?

Skuld rolls over onto her other side, facing away from the sun shining against her eyelids. It’s way too early to get up. It has to be...but she can’t be sure unless she checks the time. 

Sighing internally, she wills her eyes open to look at the clock but instead of numbers, she’s met with a pair of teal eyes.

Skuld shrieks. The other person shrieks back before she whacks them in the nose.

“Ow! Why is it _always_ my face...?” 

Skuld gasps at the familiar voice and leans over the edge of her bed. “Ephemera?!”

“Yup, that’s me...” he groans from the floor.

“I had no idea you were even here!” 

“Yeah, got that...probably should’ve woken you up last night...”

Once she sees his nose bleeding, Skuld hurriedly grabs him a few tissues. “I’m so sorry!”

“No, totally my fault.” He presses a bunch to his nose, his voice coming out nasally. “You sure have a heavy left hook....”

“It was on reflex. You scared me.”

“Do I look like a Heartless to you?”

“No, but anyone can look like a home invader. Especially you, Mr. Trespasser.”

“Touché,” he says. “I just didn’t want to wake you.”

“Any reason in particular why you chose to crash here last night?” She asks out of curiosity, "...And maybe a reason as to why you were _watching me fast asleep?"_

“Okay, listen, I know it was creepy, but I was debating on whether or not I should wake you! You usually take missions in the morning," Ephemera explains himself, "And I was out late last night by the overlook...so I decided to come here instead of my place.”

“What were you doing at the overlook?”

”Just took some time to think while looking at the nice scenery. Then I bumped into Master Ava.”

“Really?”

“Yep!” Ephemera smiles as he casually walks over to her window. “I got to properly introduce myself and all.”

It’s easy for Skuld to tell that he’s a lot more cheerful than usual. “You must’ve had a nice conversation.”

“She’s just really nice. I even got to tell her about my dream.”

“Your dream?”

“Yeah.” Ephemera lowers the tissues from his face, resting against her window sill and letting the morning sun warm him. “To find answers. And to solve the mysteries of this world.”

She’s not too surprised to hear that. “How come you’re always so curious about everything? Don’t you ever get tired trying to question and figure things out all the time?”

“Tired? Questioning things is fun! You don’t get anywhere if you never learn new things. Remember the mansion? We learned stuff about it by exploring and investigating, and questioning the stuff we found. And then we found some answers!”

He turns to face her, his eyes sparkling with passion. “I know I won’t be able to figure out _everything._ But I can at least try to learn as much as I can in one lifetime.”

“...Well, what if you had more than one lifetime? Would you still focus on finding answers?”

“Yeah. My dream wouldn’t change. Another lifetime would mean more answers to find,” Ephemera says, chuckling, “I’m not sure where I’d be able to get another lifetime though.”

His mirth is contagious. Skuld finds herself smiling. “I guess that’s a pretty good dream to have.”

“What about you, Skuld? Do you have a dream?”

She has to think for a moment. “...I guess my dream was just to lead a great party.”

“So your dream came true!” Ephemera exclaims cheerfully. “That means you get to pick a new dream.”

“...Huh. I’ve never thought of it like that before.”

“Yeah, well, you better start thinking! I’d love to hear what you wanna accomplish next,” he says as he places his hands on his hips, “I also told Master Ava about you, by the way.”

Skuld raises a brow. “Why?”

“Well, the first time I talked to Master Ava, I‘d just gotten my Keyblade. I didn’t have any friends back then. So I had to let her know that I made an awesome one.”

Skuld blushes, sheepishly scratching her cheek. “You didn’t have to.”

“‘Course I did! She sounded like she liked you.“

“Really?”

“Yeah! 

“...I hope I get to talk with her too someday.”

“I’m sure you will,” Ephemera says, “She’s friendly. Kinda like you.”

Skuld gives him a look. “‘Kinda’?”

Ephemera chuckles, swiping at his nose playfully. 

"Well, what did she say about you? I'm sure she liked you."

"Really?

"Sure. Not everybody has the guts to go up and talk to a foreteller as if they're an old friend."

"Ah, I dunno about that..." Ephemera replies, "I'm not good at talking to _everybody..."_

"You can't be serious," Skuld deadpans. If she were to describe Ephemera, the first thing she'd call him would be a social butterfly. 

"I am! Sometimes it's hard to talk to people...I bore them, usually." The silver-haired boy sits against the window sill, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "But that's okay. Not everyone has to like me. As long as I stay true to myself, I'll be satisfied."

Skuld nods in agreement, tenderly placing a hand over her heart. "I would never want to forget who I am. My name, my story, the people I care about...it's all very important to me. And so are you."

"Wow. Glad to know that I'm not included under 'the people I care about'," he teases.

"You know that's not what I meant!" She pokes him in the shoulder. "Of course I care, you're m--"

She trails off, hit with a sudden thought. “Ephemera?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we...best friends?”

Ephemera smiles warmly at her. “We’ve been partners for months now. Of course we’re best friends.”

“Not all partners are best friends.”

He shrugs. “Guess you’re right. But that’s not the case with us.”

“So does that mean you’ll never hide anything from me?”

“Of course.”

“You promise?”

“I promise,” Ephemera tells her earnestly, “Besides, what would I have to hide?”

Skuld's eyes are bright as she responds. The _second_ thing she'd call him would be sincere.

"What, indeed?"


	11. Living Quarters II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skuld gets to see a bit of Ephemera's world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, friends! Thanks again for the support and love for the fic, I really appreciate it <3
> 
> Honestly, there's no guarantee that I'll be back on a normal posting schedule because of how hectic classes have been, but I'll do my best next week to get the chapter after this one posted! If worst comes to worse, I'll just post on the 6th. Thanks so much for your patience, and I hope this chapter will be interesting for you.

“Go easy on me!”

“The Heartless never go easy on you, so why should I?”

“‘Cause you’re actually nice?” Ephemera says, panting slightly as he brings his Keyblade back up. “Though I’m beginning to have doubts...”

“Go, Ephy! Go, Skuld!” Roy cheers from the sidelines.

“You’re cheering for b-both of them?” Skylark asks the blue-haired girl.

“Yeah, why not?”

“...I-I think Skuld will win. She always does.”

“Just about anything could happen these days!”

“OHHH!” Nagare shouts, sitting up from her relaxed position on the grass, “He landed a hit!”

Skuld blocks Ephemera’s blow, sliding a few feet backwards. But she grins as if he hadn’t hit her at all.

“Skuld, you’ve got this!” Pili cheers.

Echo waves wildly. “Ephemera, come on, you have a chance!

“And I’m gonna take it!” the silver-haired boy takes aim at Skuld, launching his Keyblade at her as it becomes enshrouded with flames.

Romy looks amazed, “Oh, that’s a cool technique!” 

“Actually, I’d say it’s pretty hot,” Nagare says with a grin.

 _“Wind!”_ Skuld retaliates with a powerful Aeroga, making the flames on his Starlight dissipate and tossing it away from her. The Steadfast members nearby have to hold onto each other as the wind blows fiercely. 

“Is that all you got?” She asks, her hair whipping around her.

“No way!”

He catches his Keyblade and charges at her, yelling loudly with adrenaline. Skuld meets his attack with a forceful slash, pushing him back a bit. She doesn’t give him a moment to recover, quickly dealing strikes at him one after another. Her relentless blows have him fumbling further and further backwards, until his foot hooks onto a nearby tree root, just as she’d intended.

_“Ah!!”_

She catches him by the wrist before he’s able to fall backwards, and pulls him back upright. “Game, set, and match.”

From the side, Skylark smiles. “I knew it.”

“Aw...congrats, Skuld!” Roy exclaims.

Ephemera sighs goodnaturedly, letting Starlight disappear. “Someday, I’ll win, just you wait.”

“Maybe. Anyone else wanna try?”

“Uh, I’ll pass on getting my butt kicked today,” Nagare says, and several wielders around her agree.

“I’ll go!” Roy exclaims, the short petticoats of her regal dress swishing around her as she hops over to them in excitement. “I’ve been going on a lot of quests lately, so I’m a lot stronger than last time!”

“That’s the spirit.” Skuld falls into her battle stance. “Let’s—“

She noticeably staggers a bit as she steps forward, holding the side of her head.

Ephemera steadies her by holding her shoulders. “Hey, you okay?”

She can feel her head swimming a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

Despite his concern, Ephemera cracks a grin. “Did I tire you out more than you thought?”

“No way in the Dark World. I barely broke a sweat fighting you.” Skuld rubs her eyes. “I guess I just didn’t sleep well...”

“...Maybe you should sit this one out,” Roy suggests.

Pili approaches Roy with a grin. “I don’t mind taking you on.” 

“Oh, awesome!”

As Roy and Pili prepare to fight and capture the attention of the other Steadfast members again, Ephemera stares at Skuld suspiciously. “Did you increase your Lux quota again?”

“...A bit,” Skuld has to confess, “But can you blame me? The party’s been falling behind ever since we lost a few members. As leader, I have to set a good example by picking up the slack.”

“You shouldn’t be overworking yourself. Lower it.”

“No.”

“Skuld-“

 _“No,”_ she repeats firmly, “We have to climb back to where we were last week, at the very least.”

Ephemera sighs. Why does she have to be so stubborn? “Will you at least take a breather before heading out again? We can stop by my place, it’s close by.”

“... Alright, lead the way,” Skuld replies so softly that he can hardly hear her over the cheers for Pili and Roy.  


* * *

  
As they walk up the stairs to his flat, Ephemera’s eyes light up in recognition. “Hey!”

“I don’t have time for one of your essays right now, man!” The red-haired wielder runs past them, skipping a few steps.

“Oh. Okay, see ya!” Ephemera says before turning back to Skuld. “He’s my neighbour. I see him a lot but we never really talk.“

Skuld raises a brow. “You’re neighbours but you haven’t spoken? At least my neighbours have the decency to stop and chat a bit...”

He shrugs it off. “He’s a busybody. And I did run my mouth off a lot the first day I met him...I should really stop doing that...”

“No,” She finds herself saying, not liking the idea of Ephemera conforming and pushing away a part of himself. It just seems... _too unlike him._ “You shouldn’t change for someone who doesn’t even give you the time of day. You’re fine as you are.”

“Whoa, you don’t have to make this into that big of a deal.” Ephemera smiles. “...But thanks, Skuld.”

Skuld nods. “You’re welcome.”

“Here we are!” He opens the door with a grand gesture. “Make yourself at home. It’s the least I can offer when you’ve let me stay at your place so many times.”

Skuld’s eyes widen as she steps inside the flat. She has no idea what she expected exactly but she certainly didn’t expect to see the place overrun by piles and piles of books stacked neatly in every nook and cranny.

“Why...do you have so many books?”

“I like to read.” 

“Yeah, I can see that. Haven’t you heard of a library?”

“I bought a lot of these from libraries across the worlds actually!” Ephemera scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “It’s uh, kinda why I’m always low on cash...oh, hold on.”

He scurries in front of her to push a pile of books so she can pass through easily to get into his living room. “My parents also owned a library...so I’m just used to having books around.”

“Oh, I see. It’s nice to have things that remind you of the past...” Skuld points at a dull brown one with nothing written on its cover. “What’s this?” 

“Old astronomy. I never finished it though. I could barely translate the first few pages, let alone the whole thing.”

Skuld moves down the bookcase. “Sweet Lux, you are such a nerd...”

Ephemera crosses his arms behind his head. “I sure am!”

“And is that a conspiracy board?” Skuld points past the open door to what she assumes is the far wall of his bedroom. 

“You betcha. You can look if you want.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She turns. And that’s when she notices the broken window, tightly covered in duct tape. “You still haven’t gotten the window fixed?”

“Oh. Yeah...” he laughs awkwardly, “I’ve been meaning to ask one of the foretellers about that. Should’ve asked Master Ava when we talked. Just never got around to it.”

“I can ask them for you since you keep forgetting-“

“No, no!” He waves his hands. “Don’t worry! I’ll do it at some point, and then I’ll finally be out of your hair.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Skuld smiles softly. “I was just concerned that one day that tape might break in a storm and all your stuff will get wet.” 

“Ah. I guess that _is_ something I should keep in mind...” Ephemera scratches his head. “You should rest. Um...you can use my bed if you want.“

“Thanks but I’ll just freshen up. We’ve still got that Coliseum mission.”

“Skuld, you should really rest...”

“Don’t worry, I will. As soon as we’re done with the Coliseum.”

He sighs. “Bathroom’s on your right.”

She heads in and as soon as she closes the door, Ephemera goes over to his board, and lifts a small section up.

There are a few different coloured strings connecting several pieces of paper, some evidently ripped at the edges, some covered in Ephemera’s own neat scrawl. The largest piece of paper has a drawing of a heart-shaped symbol with wings sprouting out of each side and four spikes under them.

He scribbles a small note on the sheet and steps back, tilting his head a bit to stare at it.

_Book of Prophecies(?)_

“I wonder what a book with a title that fancy could be used for…”

Ephemera sits on the edge of his bed, stroking his chin. “Prophecies...predictions of the future? Visions? But it wouldn’t be so big of a secret if it was just filled with theoretical ideas…”

He hears the water start running but doesn’t pay much mind to it, continuing to focus intensely on his board.

“...Maybe it’s not theoretical. Maybe it’s filled with truths,” he mumbles, “Whoa...that would be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands...”

He keeps on thinking and thinking, throwing around a bunch of ideas in his head for a few more minutes before nodding sagely to himself. Now that that’s done, he approaches the bathroom door.

“Skuld?” He knocks. “You good yet?”

“Ten more minutes!”

“Ten?! Lux, you‘re such a girl sometimes.”

“Hey! What do you mean ‘sometimes’?” Skuld pokes her head out of the door to glare at him.

He just grins. “Hurry it up, you’re gonna be late for the mission.”

She sighs, “Alright, alright. Five minutes. You should get ready too.”

“Actually, I have a different mission to go on,” Ephemera tells her.

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay, then. Be safe.”

“You too,” he says, “Just about anything could happen these days.”


	12. Candle Scandal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rainy night in Daybreak Town makes Skuld and Ephemera stay indoors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is no April Fool's trick! It's a weekly Steadfast update...just a day late, cause I got super busy and even sick on top of that. I have plans for the next few weeks to update more regularly, but we'll see how that goes. I happen to like this chapter. It's one of the ones that was just easy to write for some reason, so I hope you enjoy!

A loud boom of thunder makes Skuld jump in surprise. She peers out the window, staring concernedly at the sudden downpour.

“Where could he be...?”

She watches as several kids scramble to get indoors, one of them complaining loudly about their new outfit getting soaked. Moments later, her door swings open.

“Phew, that was a close one!” Ephemera says. “Good thing I made it inside. It wouldn’t be good if these got wet.” 

He opens up his pouch and takes some things out - some cans of food, rags, and...

“Oh, you got candles too!” Skuld takes one from him to light on her dining table. “Turns out you’re useful for something after all.”

“Rude. After I went all the way to the shop...”

Skuld laughs. “You know I‘m only kidding. Thanks, Merry.”

“You’re welcome!” He beams, merrily, lighting a candle on her kitchen counter. “Man, this darkness really makes me appreciate that old gas lamp of yours.”

“I’ll get a new one tomorrow. For now, the candles will give us more than enough light.”

Ephemera plops himself down on the couch after lighting another candle on her coffee table. The rain patters harder against Skuld’s window. 

“...Y’know, this is a pretty nice setting.“

“Yeah. It’s kind of calming.” She sits next to him. “So. What kind of shenanigans did you get up to today?”

“Well, I...actually, you should go first. I’m a chatterbox.”

That has her smiling. “Nothing too interesting. Just increased my Lux quota again.”

“Seriously? Are you sure you’re not biting off more than you can chew?”

“Of course not. If I want Steadfast to survive the rankings this week, I’ll need to collect more. You know how competitive our union is.”

“Well...about that...” Ephemera plays with the tassels of his scarf. “Don’t you think this whole...Lux collecting thing is a bit much?”

“What do you mean?”

“Er - lemme start from the beginning,” he says, “When I first got my Keyblade, I was immediately attacked by a Darkside.”

Skuld raises a brow. “Wow, when you meant the beginning, you weren’t kidding. And I’m pretty sure we all were.”

“Yeah, yeah, so some people came to help and it was defeated in no time flat—but after that, more Heartless began showing up.”

Skuld raises a brow. “Really?”

“The people who helped defeat the Darkside had already left. So I was all alone. And I didn’t stand a chance.”

The light of the flame flickers against his soft features, exaggerating them slightly. “But one by one, some other strangers came along to help me. They were all from different unions. It was...really heartwarming to have all of them come together to help me.”

He crosses his arms. “So that got me thinking: Why can’t we all just work together?” 

Skuld scratches her cheek. "Well...I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

"Is there really? It just seems...unnecessary. If everybody's job is to collect Lux, then why make it into a competition?

"It's inspiring, first of all," she replies, "Plus, with all those worlds out there, I would think it's easier to have different unions taking care of different things on different days, right?"

“The Lux we collect isn’t even from other worlds, actually. It’s from here.”

“Huh?”

“Okay, uh...” Ephemera gathers his thoughts together. “The other day, I...learned something kinda big on my solo mission. But you have to keep it on the down-low, okay?”

Skuld looks puzzled. “Is this another conspiracy theory?”

“No. Well. Not exactly. This thing’s definitely real and it affects all of us greatly. But I don’t know everything about it yet.”

“Okay, enough with the prologue, let me in on the juicy stuff.”

“So...there’s this special book that the foretellers have...”  


* * *

  
Ten minutes of rambling later leaves Skuld‘s brow knit tightly in thought, with Ephemera’s words weighing heavily on her mind. 

“Do you get it?”

She simply stares at him incredulously.

“Come on, don’t look at me like that. It’s not _that_ crazy.”

“...I dunno, Eph, you say some weird stuff sometimes.”

“It _makes sense_ though.” Ephemera gesticulates in front of himself for emphasis. “The Book conjures - that’s how we can travel so easily. It’s how we get our Lux. It’s the basis for our everyday lives!”

“Are you even hearing yourself? A _book_ that _conjures_ —“

“Don’t you think it’s worth investigating further?”

“And risk getting in trouble? Of course not! Where did you even learn about this book?”

He grins proudly. “Eavesdropping on the foretellers.”

“Eavesdropping-“ Skuld processes what he just said. “Eavesdropping on the _foretellers?!”_

“Yep.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Already did.”

“Ephemera, don’t you know that you could’ve gotten in big trouble for doing that? What if it affected our party?!”

“Don’t you see that this is _bigger_ than the party?” Ephemera says, “If the foretellers are hiding stuff about Lux...what could they be hiding about us?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What if...” his voice wavers. “What if none of what we’re doing actually matters?”

Skuld stares at him, an irritated expression on her face. “How could you possibly think that none of what we’re doing matters?! Of course it matters! You...you make it sound as if all our hard work just amounts to nothing!”

“That’s not what I’m trying to-“ 

He’s cut off by a loud blast of thunder that causes them both to jump. Skuld’s window is torn open, blowing out all the candles. She and Ephemera hurry over to close it, drying off some of the rain water on the floor with the rags at the same time.

"You okay, Skuld?"

"Y-Yeah. Just got spooked for a second there."

Standing in the darkness now, Ephemera leaves the rag to soak up the water and speaks again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. A book like that holds a lot of power. So I was just wondering what it could entail for all of us.

“I’m sorry too.” Skuld moves to relight the candles. “I overreacted a bit. But the party is...really all I ever think about. Thinking about the possibility that none of our work really matters in the end...that scares me.”

“I’m sure it does. You wouldn’t feel so strongly about it if it didn’t.” Ephemera says, “I’ll learn more before jumping to conclusions next time. I tried to ask Master Ava more about it before though, and she wouldn’t budge.”

“Of course she wouldn’t. The foretellers probably have to keep a lot of things private to maintain peace.”

“Well, I don’t think it would hurt to ask her again the next time I see her,” Ephemera reasons, “Maybe she’ll come around and tell me some other things now that I know this much.”

“I highly doubt that.” Skuld relights the last candle and smiles softly. “Eph, seriously. Thank you for buying these candles. They’re a big help.”

“Uh...actually.” He scratches his head. “I technically didn’t buy them.”

“Huh?”

“Moogle ran out. Seems like a bunch of people already went and bought them before, knowing that the storm would hit.”

“So...how did you...”

“Moogle didn’t have any in stock...but he did have a whole lot of them just sitting around the store.”

Skuld’s eyes widen. “You _stole_ them?!”

“He was being stingy! He wouldn’t let me have any even though he had dozens that weren’t even lit!" Ephemera gets defensive. "But I’m not a thief! I’m only borrowing them for tonight and I‘m gonna return them in the morning!”

 _“...Ephemera,”_ Skuld runs a slow, stiff hand through her hair, trying to keep her cool. “Candles can’t be returned once you’ve _used_ them.”

The way his eyes go wide is almost comical. “...You’re right. Oh _NO,_ Moogle’s gonna kill me!”

“He sure is. If you beg hard enough, maybe he’ll show mercy and just never let you ‘borrow’ a candle again.”

Ephemera droops. “Aw, man...”

Skuld laughs at his expression. "For someone so clever, you definitely still have your moments."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up..."

She throws a peace sign at him, falling back onto the couch with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Veteran chi fans will understand my love for Ephemera and trying to get his hands on candles lol)


	13. Unsaid, Unheard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemera and Skuld are determined to uncover certain secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope y'all are having a good day and are able to enjoy this chapter!

“Ugh. I tried to be optimistic...but this really is the worst.” Ephemera shakes sand out of his scarf. "Don't they have any missions in any other world? Do the Heartless like that world 'cause it's warm for them or something? Are they cold blooded?"

Skuld closes the corridor of light behind her, sighing. It hadn’t been a long mission - only an hour or so - but they’d been assigned to Agrabah yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. And multiple times before this recent set of missions. Though barely ever together, much to Skuld’s dismay. Today was a rarity.

But these days, as much as she hates to admit it, it feels like she and Ephemera have been drifting. She’s barely seen him all week.

"Someone destroyed the bridge to fourth district again,” says a boy who passes by them.

“Lux, are you serious? _Again?"_ Skuld mutters, "Now we have to go the long way to get to the market.”

Ephemera seems to pay no mind as Skuld leads him he long way around, still rambling, “Listen, I can handle Agrabah no problem. It’s a great place! I’m sure it’s a nice vacation spot. But that’s the thing, it’s gotta be in _moderation.”_

Perhaps she’s just gotten used to his presence, she tells herself. It’s not like Ephemera’s going anywhere anytime soon. But still, she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something he isn’t telling her. And it’s worrisome to think that her best friend would keep her in the dark, especially after promising not to.

“‘Go to Agrabah’, they said. ‘It’ll be easy’, they said.” Ephemera shakes sand out of his gloves.

Skuld sighs, but sees something out of the corner of her eye. “That guy doesn’t seem to be having such a good time either.” 

When Ephemera looks at her, she gestures to a boy nearby in a black jacket, seemingly grumbling about the same thing and furiously patting sand out of his hat.

Ephemera grins a bit. “At least it’s not just us.”

“Hey,” Skuld speaks up, “Since we just got out of such a hot mission, wanna get some ice cream?”

He slowly loses his grin. “Oh, sorry, Skuld. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just...have another mission to go on.” 

“Really? You sounded like you were ready to go home just a second ago.”

Ephemera laughs. “Did I?”

Skuld raises a brow. “You're doing it."

He freezes. “Doing what?"

"That laugh." Skuld crosses her arms. "You only laugh like that when you're nervous."

"What? That's ridiculous."

She knows that it isn't though. She's heard that laugh several times before. "I don't know what you're hiding, but you can't hide it forever."

Ephemera feels a wave of panic beginning to rise in him. So quickly, he points at the sky behind her, "Look! An Omega Fortress Crab!"

Skuld looks appalled. “What do you take me for?! You can't seriously expect me to fall for that!"

Ephemera groans, “I know, but-"

And mid-sentence, he books it in the opposite direction, leaving Skuld with her jaw hanging open. But she quickly shuts it and clenches her fists.

"Oh, it's on."  


* * *

  
“Stop running away from me!”

“I’m not!” Ephemera insists. “I’m testing your agility! I threw you off your rhythm there, didn’t I?!”

“No, actually, you didn’t!”

He lets out an embarrassing screech as he jumps from one rooftop to the other, almost stumbling into a chimney.

“Be careful!” Skuld calls out by instinct before remembering what she’s doing, “I mean - stop right there!”

She leaps across the rooftops gracefully, beginning to catch up to him.

Ephemera sees a brown-haired wielder fighting some Shadows and calls out, “Luz, watch out!”

“Oh!” She moves to let him pass. 

“Sorry, Luz!” Skuld runs past her too.

Luz looks back in the direction they came and yells after them, “Should I start running too?!”

“No, you’re good!” Skuld shouts back.

“I swear it’s not that big of a deal!” Ephemera exclaims, running down a staircase from the roof.

“Then why are you running?!” She leaps down close to him.

“I...uh...!”

That moment of hesitation allows Skuld to grab the end of his scarf. “Enough.”

Ephemera gently swats her hand. “Okay, okay you got me...”

“Now just what are you hiding?” Skuld frowns. 

He stares at the ground, panting.  


* * *

  
_Ephemera can hardly breathe._

_"T͝ire͏d̷...alr͜e̷a̡d̵y?̧"_

_He backs away as the humanoid creature leaps toward him with its red and black claws raised. Its large golden eyes gleam even in the darkness of the alleyway._

_“That voice..." Ephemera says, "You can’t be...Ulo?”_

_The creature screeches in response, a sound that echoes in Ephemera's ears._

_“̸L̕u͝x!͘ ̨G͏i̡ve̕ ͞me Lu̷x!̶”_  


* * *

  
“C’mon, Eph. You can tell me anything.”

“I was...” Ephemera’s voice falters, “I was hiding...this!”

He fishes into his pouch for several seconds and eventually pulls out a little silver box.

He hands it to her. “It’s for you.”

Skuld stares at him incredulously before taking it. And when she opens it, her eyes go wide in puzzlement. “Earrings?”

“Yeah,” he scratches his head sheepishly, “I got them for your birthday.”

“But my birthday isn’t until...”

“I know.”

“Oh...” In an instant, every ounce of frustration and skepticism Skuld had fades away. “Oh no. I’m sorry I ruined your surprise...”

“No, no, it’s okay!” Ephemera waves his hands in front of him. “It’s not your fault. I’m just a bad liar, I guess. But anyhow, now you get to enjoy them early!”

“These are so cute!” Skuld takes one little pink star out and holds it up to look at it closer.

Ephemera inches a little closer, smiling. “I read somewhere once...that somewhere out there, there’s this tree with star-shaped fruit. And it represents an unbreakable connection. So there ya go. Now as long as you have those stars, you’ll always have a piece of me with you.”

Skuld smiles sweetly. “You’re a total sap.”

“Isn’t it a nice legend?”

“It is,” she agrees. “Thank you. Let’s go to my place so I can check these out in the mirror!”

“Sure.”

Ephemera lets her walk a few paces ahead and sighs to himself.  


* * *

  
_“Why don’t you tell Skuld?” Ephemera's Chirithy had asked, just after his encounter with the strange creature, “She might be able to help.”_

_“...If she sees that Ulo has turned into...that thing, she’s gonna take it against herself. Even though it wasn't her fault that he left the party. I just don’t want her to get hurt, that’s all.”_

_"You can't just carry everything on your own, Ephemera."_

_"I know..." He pulls his legs up close, resting his chin on his knees. "But this is a really big deal...darkness is spreading, Chirithy. And no one's even aware of it."_

_In an attempt to comfort him, Chirithy pats his leg. "You are."_

_"...Since no one else is interested in finding answers, then maybe I should."_

_"What?"_

_"The Book of Prophecies has all the answers, doesn't it, Chirithy?" Ephemera says, "If I can figure out exactly what's written in it...maybe it'll be the key to figuring out everything."_

_"Are you sure about this...?"_

_"Nope. That's why I'm gonna need a lot of time to think..."_


	14. Between Part and Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A genuine moment shared and appreciated between the Steadfast duo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back to Steadfast. I'm very happy but also very sad to say that we're approaching the endgame...
> 
> But!! I will have to take one last break next week. I'll be busy, plus I figure that it would make sense to have a break after this short chapter...(uhh, you'll understand once you reach the end, hehe...) but good news is, after that break, there'll be no more breaks!! Several weeks straight of non-stop Steadfast, until we reach the end. I know we're not quite there yet, but I just want to thank all of you for sticking with me on this journey, for being so patient, and for sharing all your kind words!!

“Ta-da!” Skuld pushes her hair back to show off her earrings. “Whaddya think?”

“They really suit you,” Ephemera says warmly, “Y’know, I’m glad I gave them to you early.”

She looks absolutely giddy. “They even go well with my outfit! Such a pretty shade of pink. Roy and Nagare are gonna be so jealous when I show them.”

“...I haven’t seen Nagare in a while actually,” Ephemera realizes. He thinks back to the strange talking creature that had taken over Ulo and shudders. No, Nagare wouldn’t succumb so easily...

“I’m sure she’s just off bugging her brother again. You know her, she’s got a lot of energy.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“Oh! It's been a while. Since you’re here, I can finally show you these,” Skuld opens a drawer and brings some things out, holding them in her hand. 

Ephemera whistles lowly. “Wow. That pull might be worse than all of mine combined.” 

She groans. “Am I ever gonna get medals that don’t suck?” 

That has him chuckling a little. “In this economy? Unlikely.”

She sighs, shoving them back into the drawer. They clank loudly against the wood.

“But hey.” Ephemera tries to lighten her up a bit. “Maybe there’ll come a point where you won’t need them anymore. Things are always changing...”

“I sure hope so. Steadfast’s really been slowing down lately. I’ll take any opportunity I can get to collect more Lux, and if that means spending a little more on medals than usual...then I’ll do it.”

The silver-haired boy looks up at her from his spot on the couch. “...Listen, Skuld. Do you think it’s really worth it to be this invested in collecting Lux?”

“Eph, what’ll we do if we _don’t_ collect Lux?”

"I don't know. Whatever you want, I guess," he replies, "Isn't there anything else you've ever wanted to try doing?"

"...Honestly, no." Skuld aimlessly walks over to her kitchenette. "I told you before. The party's really all I ever think about."

He goes quiet for several beats. "...There's _really_ nothing else?"

"No, not really. Especially not now, with how intense and competitive things are getting." 

She turns to look at him again. "I'm not like you, Ephemera. I can't spend a lot of time questioning things. As the leader of Steadfast...it's my responsibility to make sure everybody's well taken care of."

Ephemera nods. "I understand completely. That's what I've always admired about you, you know? You're so determined. Always following the straight and narrow." 

Skuld sheepishly rubs the back of her head. "Well...I guess that's just how I am."

"It's nice. I've missed hanging out with you like this."

"I've missed it too. I guess we've both been busy lately."

"Uh-huh. But that doesn't mean that I can't still be there for you."

She smiles, feeling a weight lift off her chest. She really needed to hear that. "And if a time comes where you'll need an extra hand, _I'll_ be there for _you."_

He chuckles softly. “Hey, Skuld?”

“Yeah?”

Ephemera doesn’t meet her eyes at first. “...I’m glad I met you.”

Skuld stares at him before chuckling awkwardly. “What’s up with you? First you give me a nice gift and now you’re being all mushy-gushy with me. If I didn't know any better, I would think that it really _is_ my birthday!”

“I _mean_ it." His tone is firm. He sits up straight, looking right at her. "You’re amazing, Skuld. I know you’re capable of getting just about anything done—I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”

Skuld’s smile fades a little at his seriousness. “Ephemera, you’re scaring me a little.”

Ephemera relaxes his posture a bit. “Sorry. There’s no need to be afraid though. You’re not the same person you used to be when we first met. Whatever happens...I know you’ll be able to handle it.”

_“Not helping.”_

He sighs, rising to his feet to stand in front of her. “I’m just trying to say that...I’m grateful that destiny lead me to you that day at the fountain. I could’ve chosen any other party to join. But I found you first. And ever since then, we’ve done incredible things together.”

Skuld’s eyes are shining, lips parted slightly to respond...but nothing comes out. Ephemera has always been the better talker out of the two of them.

He lays a firm hand on her shoulder. “Skuld, you’ll be all right on your own now.”

As quick as his hand came, he removes it, heading to the door. He doesn’t forget to put on a smile though. “I have to go. Some important stuff to do. I'll see you later!” 

The door shuts and Skuld remains frozen in her spot, completely at a loss for words. While she can’t deny that Ephemera’s still his same old, sincere self that she’s been missing these past few days, his mysterious words and abrupt departure left her feeling unsettled and shaken to the core.

She should have said something. She should have went after him. She should have went _with_ him.

If she had known that his name would suddenly disappear from the party roster the next day, she would have.


	15. Starlight, Starbright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So let us part like we always do...and in a world without you, I'll dream of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting, friends~ I'm very glad to be able to give you chapter 15 of Steadfast! 
> 
> Just so we’re all clear, this fic’s not gonna be covering Union Cross stuff (at least not much) for two main reasons: I wrote this fic before Union Cross was really established...and I wanted this to be as canon compliant as possible, which is pretty difficult when it comes to involving Union Cross stuff...we’ll see how things go in regards to ideas involving the other leaders!
> 
> I hope you enjoy~

“...I-It’s been a pretty rough few months, huh.”

Skuld scoffs quietly. “Tell me about it.”

Skylark finishes wiping the handle of his Keyblade, Light Breath, never taking his eyes off of his friend sitting across from her. A gentle breeze passes, making the tall grass around them look like a sea of green.

“I looked everywhere in Wonderland. I-I wasn’t able to f-find him there.”

“I don’t blame you.” Skuld sounds hollow. “I looked all over town and had Luz and Echo go to the badlands. I sent Faz’ group to Beast’s Castle, Nagare’s to Dwarf Woodlands many days ago...and so on. We covered a lot of ground.”

“N-None of us found anything though, even after all those months of searching.”

“He didn’t even leave any clues in his apartment. I was hoping that I’d at least find a note telling me that he’s set up some kind of silly scavenger hunt or something. But no, not even that...” Skuld admits, “I...I even bumped him a few times after he left but...he was always in such a hurry. Like he was trying to stay away from me.”

She tiredly buries her face in her hands. “And now it’s like he just... _left_ this world.”

Skylark dismisses his Keyblade and comfortingly pats her back. “I don’t think he wants to be found, Skuld.”

“I can’t believe it’s come to this...first Ephemera leaves and disappears, then the same thing happens to Nagare, then Helvetica and Faz decide to leave because apparently we’re not collecting enough Lux...then lots of people get paranoid so they follow them...and before you know it...everybody’s gone.”

Skylark nods in understanding. “I know you put so much work into this party. B-But times are tough, Skuld. You know that the foretellers’ve been rapidly increasing Lux quotas lately. It’s m-made everyone go insane. There have been _a lot_ of parties that have fallen behind, not just ours.”

“You’re right, but...” Skuld says quietly, “Nagare wouldn’t just...leave out of the blue. Neither would Ephemera. I’m worried that...outside of party members leaving to collect more Lux, something _bad_ has been happening to everybody.”

“So many people have disappeared lately, it’s hard to keep track...” Skylark tells her, “I-I’ll keep looking.”

“...I’m grateful that you’ve stayed with me for so long. You could’ve left with everyone else long ago, but...you stayed with me ‘til the very end.” Skuld sighs. “...I think it’s time to disband.”

He gets a sad expression on his face. Reluctantly, he asks, “...Are you sure about this?”

“There’s nobody left, Skylark...” Skuld says, “We should...look for a new party to join.”

“M-Maybe we should look together.”

Skuld shakes her head, “You go ahead. I think I...need some time to myself after everything that’s happened.”

“Will you be okay o-on your own?” Skylark sympathetically asks.

“...Probably. Ephemera said I would be.”

“...But do you still believe him?” he rubs the back of his neck, “I-I hate to say it, Skuld...but it sort of looks like he ditched you. I never imagined he’d be the first to leave...”

Skuld shrugs sombrely. “Maybe it was his destiny to leave. Destiny can be a funny thing sometimes...”

“...I know you’ll find a new party. It’s hard to get in the b-big leagues these days without really putting yourself out there, but with your heart...I’m sure you’ll get in a-anywhere with no problem.”

The navy-haired girl hugs him tightly. “Thank you. For everything.”

Skylark hugs her back. “See you soon.”

He gently pulls away. Skuld watches him walk off, carrying the last of Steadfast with him. With a heavy heart, she begins to make her own way home as well.  


* * *

  
She heaves a sigh, her posture slumping as she steps inside. No warm greeting. No pair of black boots on the floor besides her own. No head of silver hair resting on the arm of her couch.

Her flat has never felt so _empty._

Skuld knows better than to linger on the deeply-felt absences and instead puts her whole attention into resting up for the next day. Without anymore party members, she has no choice but to swallow her pride and go look for a new party to join tomorrow. Just the thought of it feels so wrong and so worrisome.

But in the end, will it really matter whether she’s in a party or not? With all the disputes and Lux frenzies going on, she can’t help but wonder if perhaps everything really _is_ about competition after all, and that Ephemera’s view of things - while exceedingly optimistic - had also been incredibly foolish. Who’s to say that her next party won’t fall apart either? Or that _she’ll_ be the one holding others back? 

Skuld shakes those thoughts and doubts out of her head and prepares to go to bed. No use worrying about those kinds of things now. It’s not like she has any other choice.  


* * *

  
Strangely, she immediately realizes that she’s dreaming. But had she really fallen asleep that quickly? She could barely remember going to her room.

Donned in her normal garb instead of pyjamas, Skuld shrugs it off and decides to walk forward, with each step feeling lighter than the last. The town is quiet and tranquil, with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Everyone’s still asleep, by the looks of it. 

A tug on her heart leads her to the base of Daybreak’s lighthouse, and she takes a moment to inhale the fresh, salty air of the ocean nearby. For a place she just dreamed up, it feels much more tangible than she expected.

“Skuld.”

Her heart stops. She turns around to see Ephemera standing there. He smiles at her but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Skuld shakes her head. “No, I know this is just a dream...you’re not actually here.”

“You’re right, I’m not. But it’s really me.”

“No. I looked all over for you. Finding you wouldn’t be this...”

She trails off when Ephemera holds her shoulder, squeezing it. It certainly _feels_ real...just like everything else around her.

“...It wouldn’t be this easy...”

“I know this is supposed to be _your_ dream,” Ephemera says sheepishly, sounding all too much like Skuld remembers, “Sorry for barging in.” 

“Oh...it really _is_ you!” Her eyes go wide and she takes a step back to gawk at him. “Where did you go?! You said that I’d be fine on my own, and then you just vanished into thin air and we-“

He nods. “It all happened so fast.”

“What could’ve _possibly_ happened for you to just up and leave like that?!” 

And suddenly out of nowhere, everything _hurts._ Skuld hastily wipes at her eyes, hating the way her voice cracks. “You didn’t even say goodbye. You wouldn’t even stop to talk to me afterwards or even _explain_ why you left!”

Ephemera looks away. He’s never seen her cry like that and her tears cut deep into him. “I’m sorry, Skuld. I really am. But there isn’t much time right now.“

“Are you in trouble? Tell me where to find you!”

“This is just a dream made to pass along a message.”

“Okay, I’m listening, but I don’t understand anything!”

“...As long as you’re listening,” Ephemera sighs, sounding wearier than ever, “Skuld, listen. You have to find a friend of mine.”

“A friend?”

“Viribus,” he tells her, “A Keyblade wielder. They’ve been fighting to keep the light safe just like the rest of us. Different union, real nice. Actually, now that I think about it, you two have a lot in common! Strong, brave, reliable...oh, and they also won’t talk your ears off like I always do. Seriously, you’ll love ‘em, Skuld.”

Skuld chews on her lip before asking timidly. “Did you leave because...?”

Ephemera immediately gets what she’s trying to ask and does that awkward laugh she knows all too well. “No, no, Skuld. I just met them recently.”

“And once I find them...then what?”

His expression sombers again. “I can’t tell you for sure. But I do know that you’ll be safer and stronger together.”

Suddenly, there are dandelions floating in the air and Skuld has to squint as light begins to engulf them.

“The end of the world is near, Skuld. You have to be prepared.”

“What?” comes her panicked cry, “What does that mean?!”

Ephemera takes her hands in his, giving her his most genuine smile. “Don’t worry, you’re gonna be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

She‘s not entirely sure what that means. Or what anything means. But in her heart, she knows she can trust her best friend. If not him, then who?

“Please...just go find Viribus.”

Ephemera’s hands fade out of her grip and she’s forced back into reality. 

With the sun rising already, Skuld does as well, determined to do what needs to be done in order to find this “Viribus” person.

In only a matter of time, she’d learn that Ephemera was right, and that his message in that single dream would change the course of her future for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid any confusion, "Viribus" is just the name I gave to Player, the character you know in the game, based off of their few but very canon unique traits. "Viribus" means "strength".


	16. Graveyard Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behind the scenes of the legendary conflict between the five unions, Skuld and Ephemera do their best to search for survivors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, this was probably the hardest chapter to write just because of all the heaviness surrounding the Keyblade War. Not to mention all the fighting...but I did the best I could, and there are still things I like about this chapter regardless. I hope you like it too!

_Unable to permit disharmony, you will be disappointed by fate, and lose sight of the true strength._

_Misreading the truth, you will venture forth in secrecy. And then with that one strike, a bell will toll for the final battle._

_And the battle will begin at last at the chosen time..._

  
A heavy downpour of rain patters down on the badlands, soaking each wielder down to the bone. With the strongest wielders donning their union armour proudly, it is impossible to see their expressions. Do they mourn? Do they seethe with rage? Do they feel nothing at all?

Skuld watches from afar as the wielders - friends she’s made, friends she’ll never make - raise their blades to the sky, each one shouting a passionate yet pained battle cry before charging into oblivion. Knowing that there will be many faces that she will never see again, Skuld holds her hands against her chest. And a deep crease forms in her brow.

“Please hold on, Viribus...I’m going to find you.”  


* * *

  
Ephemera feels sick watching the first rounds of death matches begin. It's utter chaos on the battlefield, with spells, attacks and even wielders themselves flying in every direction. It doesn't take long for Keyblades to lodge themselves into the hard ground with no intention of leaving the earth anytime soon.

Taking cover behind one of the large rock structures, Ephemera shakes his head. "Pull yourself together. You've got a job to do..."

Skuld rolls out of the way of an oncoming Blizzaga, gasping as the attacker runs toward her...but passes by her in order to strike the Ursus member nearby.

She leans against a rock to catch her breath, but in an instant, her heart leaps when she spots that familiar head of white hair coming towards her. “...Ephemera?”

It feels like the world stopped the second his head turns and their eyes meet. “Skuld!” he immediately runs over to her, heaving a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness you‘re safe.”

Skuld doesn’t say anything, tentatively reaching out to him. 

He nods, pressing her hand to his shoulder. “It’s not a dream this time. I’m really here.”

Skuld can’t help herself. She throws her arms around him, willing herself not to cry when she feels him wrap his arms around her as well.

Ephemera indulges both of them for a few moments before forcing himself to break the hug. They can make up for lost time later.

“I’m really here, Skuld,” he repeats as he turns his attention to the vast expanse of fallen blades and rocky terrain, “But all of this is too. This is what I meant by the end of the world...it’s terrible, isn’t it?”

Skuld sombrely removes her hand from his shoulder to touch a Divine Rose beside her. It’s dull in colour, its bond to its wielder severed much too soon. “Yeah...I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” Ephemera asks, “You should be with the other Dandelions!”

“I’m here for the same reason you are,” Skuld says boldly, “I want to save as many people as I can. I’ve been trying to convince people that joining the Dandelions was a good idea before the war, but...no one really believed that the end of the world was coming. And now...it’s here.”

She clenches her fist. “But it’s not too late! I believe we can save some more people! Including Viribus!”

Ephemera’s face goes as white as his hair. “Viri’s here?!”

“I tried to convince them not to fight, Eph...they didn’t think it was fair to just leave their friends behind to die.”

He looks out across the battlefield with a determined look in his eye. “Then we’re not gonna leave them behind to die either.”

"Then...we better get going."

"Yeah. Be careful."

As they begin to scour their way around the field to look for their friend, Skuld speaks up again, “...You were wrong about them not being much of a talker, you know.”

“Huh?”

“They talked a lot about you.”

Ephemera’s eyes seem to sparkle. “They did?”

“Yeah. It was when we went looking for you,” she says, remembering a few months back when they’d snuck into the clock tower together. “I’ll tell you about it once this is all over.”

Ephemera returns to his serious expression. “...Right. Once this is all over...”

“Come on.” Skuld tugs on his scarf. “Let’s go get them. They missed you a lot.”

Ephemera cracks a small grin. “Like you?”

“Ha, no way.” Skuld can tell by his grin getting wider how unconvincing she sounds.

“Good, keep smiling like that. Despite everything that’s happened...” Ephemera tells her, “I want Viri to have hope.”

“Hope?”

“Hope is stronger than despair.”

He looks out at the dark horizon, and the hundreds of Keyblades wedged into the ground, surrounded by thousands more still fighting.

“And right now...it’s all we have to protect us from all this darkness around us.”

The two of them are careful not to get in the middle of any fights, their eyes moving quickly across the sea of wielders, hoping that they'll find their friend soon.

"It's catastrophic..." Skuld shudders. "Some of them disappear so fast..."

"This is what the foretellers were trying to avoid..."

“YOU! You’re the one who interfered at the fountain that day!”

"Huh?" Skuld is barely able to turn around and see who it is.

“Skuld, watch out!” Ephemera cries as he summons Starlight in a flash.

The platinum-haired boy leaps, raising Darkgnaw above his head. “A DISGRACE to all unions!”

Ephemera instantly fires Ragnarok at the boy before he can strike Skuld down. It makes a direct hit, throwing him far out of sight. Skuld lets out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and shakily turns to Ephemera. “Thanks...looks like you’ve really been working on your magic.”

He nods. “We have to be careful. The people here have completely lost themselves in their lust for Lux.”

As they walk away, Ephemera holds cradles his hands close to his chest, looking back in the direction of the other wielder’s trajectory.

“Hey...” Skuld gently nudges him. “Let’s keep moving. Don’t lose hope.”

“I won't.”  


* * *

  
The rain gets heavier, so much so that it becomes extremely hard to navigate the battlefield due to thick mist and forming mud slides.

Seeing no use in covering his head, Ephemera stands tall as he gazes at the now empty clearing. There were several wielders fighting in this place just minutes ago, but an Aeroza was all it took to send everybody hurdling away, including the caster. 

“...I think it’ll be easier to find Viri if we split up.”

“What?!” Skuld is absolutely alarmed. “I _just_ got you back and now you want to split up again?”

“I know how it sounds, but we’re running out of time,” Ephemera explains, “We need to find them and take them with us before it’s too late.”

Skuld sighs, not liking the idea of being separated on the battlefield of all places. "Please, just stay safe."

He pats her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t go far.”

She frowns at him. “You better not.”

The two of them run in different directions, keeping their eyes peeled for Viribus, pressing onward with determination.

Ephemera has no idea how anyone can fight in these conditions, let alone fight people they once knew. Perhaps even loved.

"It's awful..." he mumbles, "Master Ava, I'm sorry I didn't believe you..."

If he hadn't turned his head to the left at that moment, he would have completely missed the wielder lying on the ground.

Ephemera runs toward the pink-haired wielder, gasping at what he sees. “Oh no...oh no, your head...!”

There’s blood seeping out of the left side of her head, just by her ear, staining her pink hair and pale face. Ephemera can also see blood beginning to pooling beneath her, from an injury he's too afraid to check for. Despite all this, she was still alive for sure. After all, dead wielders leave no bodies...

She wearily looks up at him, her teal eyes watering. “J-Just leave me...I’m gonna die no matter what...”

“...I won’t let you. I’m a Dandelion. I can take you with us.” 

Another explosion makes Ephemera flinch in shock. Once it dies down and his ears stop ringing, he speaks to her again. “I’m sorry it had to come to this. I promise...I’m gonna save as many of you as I can.”

He casts a Curaga on her, gently laying her down, and gets up. The pink-haired wielder’s eyes widen. “W-Wait, don’t go...”

“You’re gonna be okay. Just stay strong. There are more people I have to try and find, but I’ll be back for you.”

“...Promise?”

“I promise. It won't be long.”

He gives her a small, friendly wave before breaking out into a run again. But he only gets a few meters across the littered rock structures, when he sees something peculiar, but warm and inviting, as the rain finally lets up.

Ephemera covers his eyes for several moments, but slowly lowers his hands when he sees two familiar figures in the distance through his fingers.

“Skuld...Viri...” he smiles, walking towards them across the battlefield until he’s cloaked in white light.


	17. To Live and Let Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the war, Skuld is determined to tie up loose ends...by pressing Ephemera for answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Finally!!!_ My favourite chapter!! I've had this one completed for a very long time, even before a lot of the earlier chapters. I can't believe we're almost done...but I'll save all the mushy-gushy stuff for the last chapter. As for this chapter...I enjoyed writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you for the support!

“How’s the girl with the pink hair doing?”

“She’s doing really well. It’s a shame about the scar on her head though…”

“Well, what matters is that she’s safe.” Skuld slowly removes her hand from the wound on Viribus’ side, dissipating her Curaga spell. “And Viri is too...that should be enough to keep them stable. Unfortunately some of their wounds are gonna leave scars too...”

“We did all that we could.” Ephemera removes his hand too. “We can stay here for a bit.”

Skuld looks down. “What do we do with them?”

“Leave them be.“

The peaceful expression on Viribus’ face almost tricks Skuld into believing that they hadn’t participated in the war at all, but the bandages on their face are a grim reminder of just how unforgiving their time on the battlefield had been to them. Skuld watches Ephemera gently lift their head so he can fluff their pillow before pulling the blankets up to tuck them in.

“They’ll be asleep for a while anyway, now that we’ve healed their wounds,” he says, “Chirithy‘ll continue taking care of them once we‘re gone.”

Skuld smiles a little. “You seem to be doing a pretty good job right now.”

A warmth spreads across Ephemera’s cheeks. “It’s the least I could do for them.”

Had it been pure luck that they‘d been able to find Viribus alive? Or fate? 

Skuld, not knowing or really caring for the answer, chooses to take her attention off of her friend and goes to stand by the window instead. Rain patters lightly against the glass, washing away everything but her memories of destruction and the thousands of Keyblades in the ground around her.

Ephemera carries the chair from the other side of Viribus’ bed over to the window next to her and plops into it, heaving a heavy sigh. She can tell that it’s been a long day for him too. But she’s not about to waste this opportunity to finally get some answers after months of being apart from him.

After a few minutes pass, Skuld works up her courage.

"Why didn't you at least tell me where you were going?" she says in one fast breath.

Ephemera, a bit startled by her suddenly breaking the silence, stares down at his muddy boots. He knew he'd have to explain himself someday. But it was never something he looked forward to. 

Skuld inhales, feeling her shoulders tense. She'd been fearing his response, which was why she didn't want to talk about his disappearance until after helping Viribus. But now, with nothing between them, she can't stop her questions. Her curiosity. Her emotions.

"I'm sorry," is the first thing he says. “It all happened so quickly, and I wasn't thinking clearly—“

"Obviously."

"...I left to try and learn more about the Book of Prophecies. It felt so important at the time...I thought it could explain everything. The darkness, the disappearances, the disputes...” Ephemera admits. “I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble because of me. And then the stuff with the Dandelions happened and I had to go right away...I tried leaving a note for you, but...I just didn't know what to say."

"How about a _'Hey, heads up! I'm gonna be leaving you all alone so I can mess around for a while looking for a stupid secret book! See ya!'”_

"You had the rest of the party.” He stays calm, not wanting to aggravate her further. “I wouldn't have left you if you were by yourself."

He has _no idea._ "Well, maybe you shouldn't have left me at all. Maybe then everybody else wouldn’t have followed in your footsteps.”

He feels a weight drop onto his chest. “What?”

“Steadfast officially disbanded a few months ago,” Skuld says bluntly, “We’re all that’s left.”

 _“Whaaat?!”_ Ephemera exclaims, standing to rush to her side, “You can’t be serious! The _whole_ party?!”

“We weren’t collecting enough Lux to keep up with the increased quota.”

“But...But Roy...and Pili! And Nagare, Echo, and Luz! What about Skylark, or Helvetica? They supported you! Our friends, th-they wouldn’t have just left you because of that!”

“They did.” Skuld curls into herself, sounding hollow. “They needed to find some place...better. On the day we spoke in my dream, Skylark was the last one left...before I sent him away too.”

“But why would...”

“As they left one by one, I threw myself into collecting Lux and searching for you at the same time, hoping that I could pick up the slack on my own. It really took a toll on me. So I guess...at that point, I just didn’t have enough energy to be a good leader anymore.”

She sighs. “Or...maybe I was never a good leader at all.”

Ephemera slowly sits down again, taking several moments to process everything. The more he thinks about each member - each friend - the weight on his chest gets heavier. 

The more he thinks about _Skuld,_ his heart begins to break.

“...I’m so sorry...!”

Skuld snaps out of her stupor when she hears the crack in his voice. “Hey...“

Ephemera sniffles into his scarf, trying his best to wipe his tears away. “You wanted to have party members so badly! I know how proud you were of Steadfast...of what we were all able to accomplish together...and I know how much you loved all of them. It was your _dream_ to lead them! Seeing it all fall apart must’ve been so painful for you to bear on your own...!”

“Oh, Lux.” Skuld has never seen him so hysterical before. It’s such a contrast from the collected aura he had just moments ago. She’s completely caught off guard. Quickly, she rummages her pockets before pulling out some tissues. “Shhh, shh now...c’mon, Mer, this isn’t like you...”

“This isn’t the way I thought things would go...” He blows his nose into one of the tissues she hands him. “I’m sorry, Skuld...it’s my fault that Steadfast is gone. It’s my fault that they’re all gone...!”

“That’s not true!” Skuld shakes her head, kneeling to talk with him at eye level. “Master Ava told Viribus and I about the Dandelions. The members of our party...they wanted to please the foretellers by gathering more Lux, okay? Leaving was _their_ choice. And they all thought that...fighting for our union would set things right. It wasn’t their fault, and it wasn’t _your_ fault.”

She takes one of his hands. “You were right about none of our work mattering in the end.”

“N-No...of course it mattered. It mattered to us at the time...”

“Ephemera, listen...it wasn’t your fault that Steadfast disbanded...and...it wasn’t your fault that they didn’t make it.”

Ephemera squeezes his eyes shut. “D’you think they’re _all_ gone...?”

"I tried to get as many of our friends as possible to join the Dandelions. But...I wasn’t able to convince all of them that the world was really coming to an end. And I wasn’t able to find some of them at all.” 

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help more..."

Skuld sighs. “If...if they _are_ gone...then at least they'll be watching over us.”

He fills the space between them to miserably lay his head against her shoulder. "I hope so...” 

That makes her smile ever so softly as she pats his back. “You know...my best friend told me lately that hope is stronger than despair.”

He doesn’t say anything for about a minute. Just when Skuld starts to think that he’s too upset to even speak, he mumbles into her shirt.

"What was that?"

He goes silent again. Skuld nudges him. "Eph.”

“I'm..." Ephemera pulls away from her and laughs lightly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, _"I'm just really glad you're here._ I'd probably go insane if I was here by myself for a day longer."

Skuld had forgotten that he'd been sent to this realm by Master Ava much earlier. To try and lighten the mood, she says, "Hmm, I bet you could probably think the days away and not feel the least bit lonely."

"No," he disagrees, instantly going into one of his ramblings, "I-I wouldn't be able to handle all this responsibility on my own. I don't know what Master Ava was thinking, sending _me_ first, of all people. You know I was never the strongest wielder. I broke rules all the time. I made - still make - really stupid decisions—“

“Yeah, I agree.”

“And yet, she chose to send me to prepare...hey, what do you mean you agree?”

“Just being honest.”

“Well, thanks I guess...” he pouts and sniffles a bit before continuing, “Anyway, Master Ava chose me to be her replacement but I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t act like she would. And it’s all so ridiculous, Skuld, you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because...I wasn’t even allowed to tell you any of these things myself.” He runs a hand through his hair, curls bouncing, “The Dandelions had to be kept under wraps so people wouldn’t panic.”

Skuld nods. “She told Viri and I about that too.”

“I had to avoid you because...’cause I needed time to figure it all out for myself. And you know I have a big mouth. I would’ve told you everything if I stuck around. But...man, it just feels so stupid now that I think about it...”

“Hey...it’s okay. I understand. I’m not happy that you left out of the blue...but at least I understand why now.”

Finally out of things to say, Ephemera takes a moment to close his eyes and take a long, deep breath. 

Skuld doesn’t take her eyes off him. “Feel a bit better?”

Ephemera pauses for a moment, as if thinking it over. “Uh-huh. I’ve been...holding onto a bunch of stuff for a while now. It’s nice to finally have some of it off my chest.”

Skuld nonchalantly places her hand on his shoulder. “You know...even if I do agree that you’re not the strongest physically, and that you break rules a lot, and that you can be pretty reckless sometimes...I think she chose you because you’re a genuinely good person.”

“But there are a lot of good people in the world, Skuld. And a lot of them are gone now...so why me in particular?”

“...Sometimes...there just isn’t an answer.”

“There’s _always_ an answer.”

“Sometimes it’s impossible to find the answer.”

“...That sounds like a challenge.”

“You’re hopeless,” Skuld sighs, “I was just trying to make you feel better.”

“I know...” Ephemera chuckles a bit and rubs at his eyes with his arm. “I do.”

“Even though your mind’s always running marathons, your heart’s always in the right place. And I think that’s what matters most,” Skuld explains, “Don’t be afraid to have people depending on you.”

Ephemera glances at Viribus and a wave of relief washes over him. He’s so glad that they were able to save them. 

“You’re right. This is our world now. So we have to make the most of what we’ve got...”

She smiles fondly. _“That’s_ the Ephemera I remember.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Skuld...I don’t know how to tell you this now that I know about the party, but...”

“You have to go again,” Skuld finishes.

He stares at her with wide eyes. “How’d you know?”

“Just had a feeling. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and stop you.”

Ephemera lays his other hand on top of hers. “I’ll find you again as soon as I can. I promise.”

Skuld shakes her head. “You’re not very good at promises. _I’ll_ find _you.”_

He nods, smiling. “Deal. See you soon.”

 _Very_ soon. Skuld didn’t have to see the corner of a little green book sticking out of his bag to know that he wouldn’t be going too far.


	18. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally...the chosen leaders congregate at the Keyblade Graveyard, as instructed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are...the last chapter. It feels surreal to me that I was actually able to finish this. I started writing Steadfast over a year ago, last January to be precise, but even before then, I had a great urge to write a fic about Skuld and Ephemera's time together pre-chi because I felt like it was something that would be fun to explore (and it was), and would probably be something canon would never address (we'll see). A lot of things have happened in the time frame I wrote this, but I hope I was able to incorporate the newer stuff in a way that was entertaining and satisfying.
> 
> Honestly, Steadfast couldn't have been completed without the support of you the readers, and of course my lovely friends, many of whom were kind enough to let me give their key kids small roles so the story would have a little more pizzazz and a personal touch to it (a full list of key kids will be included in the end notes). Thank you so much for supporting Steadfast throughout its run, and while I feel like it ended so soon, I'm just really happy that I was able to get it off the ground and get a lot of great feedback from a lot of people. So I hope you enjoy this and keep an eye out for anymore future works!

“Hey, you guys know about that guy who hates the Dandelions, right?”

“His name’s Malikin, isn’t it? He’s been really verbal about it.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t blame him for being upset. A whole buncha wielders are supposedly chosen to escape the war, leaving the rest to just die? It seems fishy to me.”

“...But weren’t the Dandelions formed for a good reason? Master Ava said that everybody would be the hope for the future.”

“I dunno about that. Shouldn’t that sort of thing be at least decided by _all_ the foretellers and not just her? I think Malikin’s on the right track here.”

“I’m not so sure...he seems...really mean and destructive.”

_“You really shouldn’t talk behind people’s backs. It’s rude, you know.”_

The three Keyblade wielders flinch at the sound of the gruff voice nearby and each slowly turn around to see a Keyblade wielder dressed in mostly tones of grey, tan, and brown.

It’s Malikin himself, scowling down at them with his sharp tan brown eyes as a light breeze tousles his stone grey hair.

“You call _me_ destructive, but have you ever _thought_ to consider that the Dandelions are just the same? They’re _weeds._ Vile plants that threaten to destroy the entire garden.”

None of the trio say a word, too afraid to stand up to him.

“...Hmph. I wouldn’t expect you simpletons to understand. But know this...”

He walks through them, pushing aside one of the boys to get by. “When those new leaders begin to ruin everything we worked for and try to manipulate us to do their bidding just like the foretellers did...you’ll have _me_ to thank for their total annihilation.”  


* * *

  
“—well, we need a safe place where we can store the data back-ups. Which I guess would be the clocktower.”

“Oh!” Ventus pipes up, “That’s right. It’s empty now that the foretellers aren’t living there.”

“Good.” Blaine closes his rule book. “It’s decided then.”

“But is it really okay for the five of us to be there?” Skuld asks concernedly. “Wouldn’t we be intruding since it was always off limits?”

Lauriam shakes his head. “We’re the Union leaders now. The place is ours, both for our top secret operations and our residency. I think it would be foolish not to make use of such a convenient place.”

Blaine points with his thumb. “What he said.”

Skuld folds her arms behind her back. “I guess you’re right. It’s not like we’ll be able to just go anywhere we want from now on...”

"Yes, especially with the emerging threats," says Lauriam.

“Well, what are we waiting for, then?” Blaine waves them along as he starts walking ahead. “Let’s get this bread.”

“Uh...I don’t really know what that means, but okay!” Ventus replies, following after him. Lauriam trails after them, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Skuld lets them walk a few paces ahead before turning to Ephemera, his arms crossed and his eyes distant. “You okay? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I dunno...I’m just wondering if we’re really doing the right thing.”

“Hey.” Skuld claps his shoulder. “You trust Master Ava, don’t you?”

“Well...yeah. I do.”

“Then we’ll be fine. There’s a reason for everything, I’m sure.”

“...Y’know, Skuld...I really didn’t think that you’d be chosen too.”

She gives him a look. “You don’t think I can handle the responsibility?”

“No, not at all!” Ephemera waves his hands in front of him, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. “It just...felt too good to be true, y’know? I kind of assumed that Master Ava would choose a bunch of people who don’t have any sort of connection to each other to be leaders. But she chose us.”

“She sure did.”

“I’m glad...back then, I was afraid you would end up fighting in the war. That’s why I reached out to you in your dream.”

Skuld shakes her head. “No way. I know that there’s more to us Keyblade wielders than just competition. We should all be working together to _protect_ the light. At least now with the help of the others, we can work our way towards doing just that.”

Ephemera smiles proudly. “I shouldn’t have been surprised. You make a good Dandelion. And a perfect pick for a Union leader.” 

“Hey, are you lovebirds done?“

The two of them look over to see Blaine, thumbs hooked in his jacket pockets.

When both of them blush and neither of them answer, Blaine just shakes his head, a grin spreading across his lips. “Of course you aren’t. Catch up soon.”

“Yeah, we’ll be there in a sec.” Ephemera replies.

They can vaguely hear Ventus asking Blaine about them, both chuckling when Blaine gives him an unsatisfactory answer, pulling him along towards the tower.

Ephemera looks back at Skuld, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “There’s also something I want to ask you, now that things have calmed down a bit.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have a new dream?”

Skuld remembers how his eyes shone as he poured his heart out to her about his dream. She remembers how torn his heart was when he realized that her dream had been crushed. She remembers thinking, alone, the night before today...thinking long and hard about what it is she wants to do next.

“My new dream...is to make the future bright.”

With those words, Ephemera closes his eyes and turns his face towards the sky. After a moment of calmness and clarity, he nods. "I think that's doable."

"I sure hope it is," she says as she moves the long strands of her hair over her shoulder. “...Hey, Ephemera?”

“Yeah?”

Skuld smiles. “Thank you.”

He raises a brow. “For what?”

“For looking out for me. For being my friend. In all honesty...one of the reasons why I joined the Dandelions is because I wanted to meet with you again. There were a lot of things I needed to say to you that I wasn’t able to back then. ‘Thank you’ is just one of them.”

“...What are the other things?”

Skuld giggles quietly to herself. “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

“Oh, c’mon, you can’t just leave me hanging like that!”

“Sure, I can.” Skuld gracefully folds her arms behind her back as she walks away. “Besides, it’s your dream to find answers to all the mysteries in the world, isn’t it?”

“Skuld...!” he whines, “You know I’m gonna figure it out eventually! You can’t keep secrets from your best friend!”

“Well, you sure kept a lot of secrets from _your_ best friend.”

His face falls. “I...guess that’s true.”

Skuld laughs, “I was just kidding. But I’m still not telling you. You’ve got lots of time to figure it all out. Especially now that we can be together again.”

“That’s true...” Ephemera takes one last look at the graveyard. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. But I think the five of us can handle it.”

“I think so too. Things are always better when you’re part of a team.”

“Mm-hmm.” Ephemera moves his attention from the graveyard to Skuld.

She self-consciously pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “What’s wrong?”

Ephemera takes another moment to just stare at her before smiling and walking ahead. “Nothing. We should get going.”

“I’ll race you.”

“To the tower?”

“No, to Agrabah,” she deadpans. “Yes, to the tower! Last one there’s a blown out dandelion!”

_“You’re on.”_

They pass by Ventus, Lauriam and Blaine, leaving them in their wake.

“Why are you running?!” Blaine shouts.

“Hey, are you guys racing?!” Ventus starts running too. “No fair! You guys got a head start!”

“Catch us if you can, Ven!” Skuld calls out.

Lauriam sighs. “Well, I’ll see you all in a bit then. I’m not running.”

“Neither am I.” Blaine crosses his arms, but grins.

Skuld almost trips over the rocky terrain but Ephemera grabs her hand right on time, not letting go as they leap through a corridor of light, with Ventus right behind them, and Blaine and Lauriam not long after. The corridor soon disappears, leaving the Keyblade Graveyard yet again in a state of repose.

  


_In time, the worlds would be salvaged by the five leaders underneath the wake of the same sky..._

_It would not be absent of struggle and turmoil...but a day would come when the true light would shine upon the worlds once more._

_And as **steadfast** as the bonds that tie hearts together...every step forward for the Union leaders...would always be a step closer to home._

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full list of character credits:   
> 
> 
> * _Pili_ \- Pili (keykidpilipili on tumblr)  
> 
> *  _Roy_ \- Icy/Kat (whoelsewillieaticecreamwith on tumblr)  
> 
> *  _Nagare_ \- Oath (stresslitzia on tumblr)  
> 
> *  _Luz_ \- Romy (romy350-romyakari on tumblr)  
> 
> *  _Skylark_ and _Malikin_ \- Skylark (ponmod on tumblr)  
> 
> *  _Echo_ \- Echo (echoheart0324 on tumblr)
>   
> Please keep an eye out on my  Steadfast tumblr tag for additional notes about the entire fic in general, a timeline, and all sorts of other shenanigans I'll post in the future. Thank you all once again for your support! <3 <3 <3 


End file.
